


Fears and Lies Melt Away

by ThatOnePsycho



Category: Kingdom Hearts, RWBY
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2019-09-16 01:02:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 68,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16944057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatOnePsycho/pseuds/ThatOnePsycho
Summary: Ruby watched the Land of Departure disappear, being lost to Oblivion, so only her and Aqua could navigate it. Now it was time to find someone to train in the art of the Keyblade.





	1. Chapter 1

\--- X  **Ruby** X---

Ruby watched the castle that been her home away from home the last seven years shift and change. Transforming from a castle into a manor that only her and one other would be able to find their way through, the wind lashing the red cloak over her keyblade armor.

 

Finally, Aqua made herself known, stepping from the castle with Eraqus's keyblade in hand. The blue haired keyblade master held out the sword.

 

“I don't want it,” Ruby said, taking her hand off Crescent Rose and pushing Master Defender back towards Aqua.

 

“You need it,” Aqua said, pushing it back into Ruby's hand,  “Without it, you won't be able to find Ven.”

 

“What about you?” Ruby asked, taking their mentor’s keyblade.

 

“I still have Stormfall,” Aqua said, planting a hand on the smaller woman's shoulder, “You're a Master now…”

 

“What?” Ruby said, “No!”

 

“You have to be,” Aqua insisted, “There's not enough Keyblade wielders alive anymore. You need to take some students while I rescue Terra and Ven… Terra did the Keyblade inheritance ceremony with a boy on Destiny Islands, Riku.”

 

“...Fine,” Ruby said, planting Master Defender into the ground pulling Aqua into a vice grip hug, leaving the older girl to squawk.

 

“Ruby… armor… crushing me…!’

 

“Sorry!” Ruby jumped back, “Sorry!”

 

“It's alright,” Aqua said, returning the hug gently, “Take care of Ven, ok?”

 

“Yeah,” Ruby nodded, “It's kinda funny, isn't it?”

 

“What?”

 

“I always thought you'd be the one to take over for Eraqus,” Ruby admitted softly, starting down at Master Defender and Crescent Rose, “And that I'd travel around the worlds, saving people. Instead, it's gonna have to be the other way around.”

 

“That's not funny,” Aqua said.

 

“I know…” Ruby trailed off, “Do me a favor?”

 

“What?”

 

“Come back once a year, ok?” Ruby said, voice wavering,  “I remember how lonely Master seemed sometimes, I don't want to be like that.”

 

Ruby looked away, blinking away tears as she admitted that. She didn't want to be alone, she had trained with the plan to explore worlds, helping people, she didn't want to be trapped-

 

Ruby froze as Aqua swept down, pulling her into another soft hug. Finally, Ruby cracked, burying her face in Aqua's shoulder and sobbing.

 

“I'm sorry,” Aqua said, voice soft, “This is more than you should have to deal with… why don't you train them on Remnant?”

 

“What?” Ruby said.

 

“You don't need to train them here,” Aqua said, “Train them on Remnant.”

 

“Yeah,” Ruby nodded, “That's a good idea! Grimm are great training toys!”

 

“And of course I'll come visit,” Aqua said, “We're family.”

 

“Yeah,” Ruby sniffled, “See you around?”

 

“Of course,” Aqua said with a smile.

 

“And Aqua?” Ruby said, hesitating.

 

“Yes?” Aqua said as she climbed aboard her keyblade glider.

 

“May your heart be your guiding key,” Ruby said.

 

“Always,” Aqua said, taking off as Ruby drew Crescent Rose from the ground, frowning at the unblinking eye gazing up at her.

 

“Was this part of your plan, Master?” Ruby wondered through her sniffles, before zipping up her coat and summoning her helmet, a door to the lanes between opening behind her.

 

\--- X  **Roman X** \---

 

Roman stepped into the Dust shop, spinning Melodic Cudgel around with a whistle before pointing it at the man behind the counter, the aiming reticle popping up, “You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a Dust store open this late.”

 

“Please,” the old man said, “I don't want to fight! Just take my Lien and go!”

 

“Didn't you hear me?” Roman said, “We're here looking for Dust. Hand it over, and you don't get hurt.” 

 

“Yes, yes!” he nodded, hitting the button to unlock the case in front of them.

 

“Good,” Roman said, voice still calm, “Is there anyone else in this building?”

 

“There's a client in the back,” the old man said.

 

“You two,” Roman nodded at two of the thugs with his chin, “Make sure they don't try to be a hero.”

 

“Right,” one nodded, drawing his machete, “C’mon, Dim.”

 

Roman watched several crystals be added to the box, grabbing a red one before one of the thugs went flying past him. Seconds later, the other one, Dim, slammed through the glass in front of the store. Roman sighed, pushing his gun against the proprietor’s head, “Why does someone always insist on playing hero? Come out now, or I blow his head of-!”

 

Roman didn't finish the sentence, being forced to dodge back from the slash of a sword as a girl appeared between him and his hostage, flames launching for him. The last two thugs drew guns, pointing them at the girl only for her to disappear in a flurry of petals.

 

One thug collapsed, the girl grabbing his gun from the air and shooting the other before attacking Roman. Roman swung up Melodic Cudgel, blocking the strike from her weapon, a massive black and red sword that looked like someone had fused it with an oversized car key, a blue slitted eye in the guard and a second on a chain hanging from the pommel, a red flower around it, and was blasted back.

 

The girl was wearing a black coat with a red cloak with a red and black pauldron over one shoulder and armor down that arm, a ball of fire igniting other hand and she tried to drive it into Roman's face.

 

“Woah!” Roman dodged it, kicking the sword out of her hand as he went and catching it, “Nice try, Red, but if you're gonna fight, you might want to keep a tighter grip on your weapon! I think I might keep this, I'm sure some collector would give me a- huh?”

 

The last part was cut off as the sword disappeared from his hand in a burst of fire and smoke, drawing his attention back to the girl as it reappeared in her hand a sword with an E shaped bit on the end, “You shouldn't talk so much when you're fighting!”

 

Roman barely got Melodic Cudgel up in time, both weapons impacting the cane and sending him flying back. Popping up the aiming reticle, Roman fired it at the girl, turning and running as the explosion went off, climbing up the fire escape towards where Cinder was waiting for him in a Bullhead. 

 

He had barely reached the top before a bang went off from above him and he staggered forward as a large arrow of fire smashed into him, turning enough to see Red standing sideways on the side of a building, a massive sniper rifle aimed at him and firing four more times. Roman danced around the shots, letting three hit him before the fourth blasted him back, “How many weapons do you  _ have _ ?”

 

Red didn't answer, merely disappearing in another explosion of petals as he climbed onto the bullhead… before the ship listed to one side, Cinder hissing under her breath as she battled with the control, “What's going on, Roman?”

 

“Huntress or something!” Roman barked, throwing open the other side of the Bullhead and swinging himself halfway out, aiming at Red, who was hacking away at the underside of one wing, “You really need to learn to take break ups better!”

 

Red looked over at him as her hood finally fell back, revealing a baby faced girl with silver eyes, before Roman fired Melodic Cudgel at her again, the sound of rending metal coming from the damaged cane-gun.

 

It was only as she vanished that Roman realized he had fired a highly explosive flare right at point she had been savaging, “Oh son of a bi-”

 

Roman's flare exploded against the wing, blasting it apart and sending the ship into a tailspin as Cinder gave an inarticulate  yell of rage. Roman screwed up his eyes on instinct as the ground approached, before the ship crashed.

 

The next thing Roman knew, he was pinned against the ground by the ship, everything below his waist numb. Pushing himself up, Roman stared at Cinder, “Hey! Help!”

 

“I-” Cinder looked back, where a pair of voices were coming towards them, “I have to go.”

 

“No!” Roman yelled, struggling against the bullhead as Cinder fled, “Cinder! CINDER!”

 

\--- X  **Ruby** X---

 

_ Ruby fell through the water head first, eyes closed against the salt water. What was going on? Her and Yang weren't that far from the beach. _

 

_ So, was this real, or had she fallen asleep in the water or-? _

 

_ Ruby's eyes jumped open as she felt her feet land on something hard, the world warping so she was standing upright, “Wha-?” _

 

_ With the rustling of wings, hundreds of white birds suddenly took off from the ground around Ruby, flying into the sky and disappearing, convincing her this was definitely a dream. Below her feet, the inky blackness was replaced with glass like the windows in that old church she had visited with Uncle Qrow that one time. She wished she could get a good look at it, they were always so cool, with heroes and Maidens and dragons and- _

 

_ “Wow, you rattle on,” a voice that reminded her of Qrow echoed from all around Ruby, sending the little girl whirling to find it, “Don't hurt yourself, kid, you won't find me. Not yet.” _

 

_ “Who are you? Where are you? Where am I?” Ruby’s rapid fire burst of question cut the man off, “What is this place? How did I get here? Where's Yang?” _

 

_ “Slow down,” he said, “To answer your questions, you'll find out later, you'll find out later, you'll find out-” _

 

_ “I get it,” Ruby said with a sigh. _

 

_ “-later, you'll find out later-” _

 

_ “Ok, I get it!” Ruby said, running her hand through her hair. Stupid voice. _

 

_ “Right, right. Alrighty, time for your first quiz, kid, real simple one, look around you, see the stuff?”  _

 

_ “What stu-?” Ruby stopped as she saw the three pedestals around her, one with a sword hovering above it, another a staff shaped like a rose, and the third a shield with the same rose on it, “Oh.” _

 

_ “Pick one,” the voice said, “Any one, your choice. No wrong answer, either, ain't that just the best kind of test?” _

 

_ “Uh,” Ruby looked between the three, trying to decide, before grabbing the sword and swinging it like a bat a few times. _

 

_ “That's not how you use that, kid,” the voice said. _

 

_ “I don't know how to use a sword!” Ruby defended.  _

 

_ “Whatever. You sure you want the sword? Last chance to back out.” _

 

_ “Is there a scythe?” Ruby asked, “Uncle Qrow uses a scythe, I wanna too.” _

 

_ “Do you see a scythe?” _

 

_ “No?” _

 

_ “Then I'm sure you can answer the question for yourself.” _

 

_ “There's no scythe,” Ruby said. _

 

_ “Yep! Now, barring scythes than don't exist, or any other weapons that don't exist here, are you good with the sword?” _

 

_ “Yeah.” _

 

_ “Good to hear! Question two, my new apprentice, what do you give up? The scepter or the shield. Phenomenal cosmic power… or the ability to take a hit?” _

 

_ “I have to give one up?” Ruby asked. _

 

_ “Yep, make your choice!” _

 

_ “But I don't want to give one up!” _

 

_ “Too bad, you gotta, you can't get something for nothing, you know?” _

 

_ Ruby looked between the scepter and the shield, nibbling on her lip. Which one? _

 

_ Finally, Ruby pointed over to the shield, “I'm giving up that one.” _

 

_ “Cool,” the shield vanished in a flash of light, “Come on up to the next station.” _

 

_ “What-?” before Ruby could finish, a staircase formed with the clinking of glass. Ruby reached out and pushed her foot on the glass, and when it held, she climbed up to the station. _

 

_ Turning to look down, Ruby gasped as she finally saw the glass of herself asleep, a red cloak wrapped around her, in a garden of white flowers, “Wow…” _

 

_ “Yeah,” the voice breathed, sounding… wistful? Was that the word stories used? “You never forget your dive. Alright, kiddo, time for a bit of a test.” _

 

_ Ruby turned towards the center of the pillar she was on, taking a startled step backwards as three bubbling pools of darkness formed, newborn Beowolves crawling from each one, “He- hey!” _

 

_ A small, detached part of her mind noticed that instead of the red eyes Grimm normally had, these ones had yellow eyes, but the bigger part reminded her of the stairs, which she turned towards, only to find them gone. _

 

_ “Don't worry,” the voice said, “Your heart is your strength here. You can beat these Heartless, I believe in you.” _

 

_ Ruby breathed in, fingers wrapping around the sword. When the first Beowolf lunged at her, she dodged to the side, swinging the sword for its chest and watching it sink through like a hot knife through butter, exploding into a cloud of darkness. _

 

_ Ruby dodged as the second Grimm barreled at her, watching the claws rip into the glass as she threw the sword into the Grimm. The Grimm howled, thrashing and pawing at the sword with its claws as the blade glowed bright.  _

 

_ Ruby dodged to the side as the third Grimm lunged at her, scampering away from it as quickly as she could. The Grimm dug its claw into the ground, using the force to whirl and charge at her. _

 

_ Ruby closed her eyes, waiting for the impact while hoping for something to stop it. She didn't want to die, she hadn't become a Huntress, she hadn't helped anyone, and- _

 

_ Ruby opened her eyes as the beowolf gave a confused whimper, watching the huge sword made of light, looking similar to her Uncle Qrow's sword, Harbinger, before it exploded, ripping the Grimm apart as the voice grunted, “So that's what it's like, huh? Not the strangest I've see, but a up there. By the way-” _

 

_ Ruby jumped, squawking as something fell across her vision and she yanked it off, holding up an oversized black coat, “What the heck?” _

 

_ “Put that on,” the voice said, “please.” _

 

_ Ruby pulled the coat on over her swimsuit, reaching down to roll up the ends and sleeves so she was able to move as she grabbed her sword from the ground. Looking up, Ruby walked towards the door that had appeared without prompting, pushing it open. _

 

_ Ruby blinked her eyes rapidly as the shining light beat down on her, looking around.  _

 

_ She was standing before a castle, three people standing around the yard before her. One was a brown haired boy in his teens wearing a hakama, the second a sandy haired boy around Ruby's age wearing a jacket that was divided into a white half and a black half, and the third was a pretty, blue haired teen girl with a backless outfit. _

 

_ “Oh?” the voice snickered. _

 

_ “Ruby!” the boy turned towards her, waving with a smile as the other two turned towards them, causing Ruby to slink back slightly, “We've been waiting for you!” _

 

_ “About time you got up,” the brown haired teen said with a smile, planting his sword in the ground, ”I was starting to think you were gonna sleep all day.” _

 

_ “Leave her alone, Terra,” the girl said with a laugh, “Come on, Ruby!” _

 

_ Ruby gave a shy smile, walking down the steps, “Hi! I'm Ruby, your weapons are cool looking, what's your name?” _

 

_ “Boy, oh, boy,” the voice said, “You're never gonna be not fun to tease, are you, kiddo? I think I'll name you Luxu II. I was gonna call you Superbia to round out the set, or Ignia to round out this trio, but you're just like Luxu. I even gave you his coat!” _

 

_ “My name is Ruby!” Ruby complained, “R-U-B-Y! Ruby! Not Luxu or Super or whatever!” _

 

_ “Fine, fine,” the voice said, “I'll call you Ruby, Luxu II.” _

 

_ Ruby gave a shriek of annoyance as the voice laughed.  _

 

_ “Ruby,” Ruby focused on the boy, who was twirling his sword, “Come on! Summon your Keyblade!” _

 

_ “Key blade?” Ruby asked. _

 

_ “Yeah! I want to spar! C’mon!” _

 

_ “She just woke up, Ven,” the blue haired girl said. _

 

_ “So?” Ventus said  “We're gonna have to fight after waking up, sometimes! C'mon, Ruby!” _

 

_ “You can do it,” the voice said from behind Ruby, leaving her to twirl in place to see a man wearing the same coat as her, the hood pulled over his head pointing at her chest, “It's in there.” _

 

_ “In my chest?” Ruby asked. The man was silent for a moment, before giving a snickering laugh. _

 

_ “In your heart, Luxu II, the guiding key everyone has.” _

 

_ “My name's Ruby,” Ruby repeated. _

 

_ “Get that Keyblade out, and maybe I'll stop calling you Luxu II, Luxu II,” the man said. _

 

_ Ruby puffed out her cheeks, pressing her hand to her chest. How was she supposed to get something out of her heart? How was something in her heart to start with? _

 

_ Ruby closed her eyes, focusing on her heart. Finally, her mind returned to the sword that had appeared earlier. _

 

_ “Good!” the man said, “good! Just a bit further and-” _

 

_ Ruby's eyes opened as a loud ‘thunk’ came from in front of her, a gasp rising up as her eyes locked onto her Keyblade. _

 

_ It didn't look as much like Harbinger, except in size, up close, looking like the key to her father's truck in red and black, with a blue, slitted eye in the center of the guard. Ruby reached out, grabbing the sword and lifting it with surprising ease for something so big, “I had wanted a sc- woah!” _

 

_ The sword shifted, the entire guard moving until the blade, which was segmenting and curving  _ **_like_ ** _ Harbinger, was parallel with the hilt, which shot out, hitting Ruby in the gut. The man laughed, “Well, I guess you got your scythe, Luxu II.” _

 

_ “I thought you said you would stop calling me that if I got my Keyblade out,” Ruby squeaked from her place next to the scythe. _

 

_ “I said maybe I would stop calling you that,” he said, “Ready for the last part of your dive, Luxu II?” _

 

_ “What's-?” before Ruby could finish, the ground beneath their feet tilted, sending he falling even as the man waved with exaggerated cheer, leaving her to plummet away from him and her scythe with a loud yell, “Hey-!” _

 

_ “See ya on the other side, Luxu II!” the man yelled with a laugh as the scythe vanished in smoke and fire.  _

 

_ “Jerk!” Ruby yelled as he, and the ground he was standing on, vanished from sight, looking behind her. Another stained glass floor was rapidly approaching, another image of herself and the three people who had been in front of the castle on it. _

 

_ Ruby smacked into the ground with a moan pushing herself up as the man's voice came above her, “Alright, kiddo, here's the thing. What do you know about light?”  _

 

_ “Light?” Ruby said, “It's uh… what lets you see?” _

 

_ “What happens to your shadow when you get closer to light?” he asked. _

 

_ “It… I dunno?” _

 

_ “What happens to your shadow when it’s almost sundown?” _

 

_ “It gets…” Ruby felt her hair stand on edge as it dawned on her, turning, “bigger…”  _

 

_ Taking up half the station was a massive upper body, back almost double before its body jerked up, golden eyes starting at her as it opened its mouth  _ **_way, way_ ** _ too wide and shrieked. _

 

_ Ruby flinched, covering her ears as the shriek echoed and reached out as it faded. Her Keyblade appeared in front of her, letting her clutch it as the clawed hand swung down for her. _

 

_ Ruby dove out of the way, swinging her sword into the black flesh and clinging tight as the monster pulled its arm back and Ruby up, dangling her above the head. Ruby shifted the sword to scythe form as she threw it down, watching it slice through the head like a knife through butter. _

 

_ Ruby clenched her eyes shut as she plummeted, only for a pair of arms to catch her and put her on the ground, patting her on the head, “Nicely done, Luxu II!” _

 

_ “Stop calling me that,” Ruby pouted. _

 

_ “Let me think…” the man said, stepping away from her as one vanished into his hood, “Right, I've thought about it and come to a decision!” _

 

_ “And?” Ruby asked. _

 

_ “Nope! Still gonna call you Luxu II, Luxu II!” he said, “I'm the Master of Masters, and I'll do what I want!” _

 

_ … _

 

_ “You're a bit of a jerk,” Ruby said. _

 

_ “Oh, I am, am I?” the Master of Masters said, striding towards her, “I give you a shiny Keyblade, a nice coat, you get friends because of me, and I'm a jerk!?” _

 

_ “Uh,” Ruby held her Keyblade between her and him, “Yes?” _

 

_ “Good!” the Master of Masters said, patting her on the head again, “Never hesitate to speak your mind, Luxu II! Now, get out of here.” _

 

_ “Uh,” Ruby looked at the door that had appeared before scampering through it and onto the beach. _

 

_ “Ruby!” Ruby staggered back as her dad pulled her into a hug, “Do you know how worried we were? Where were you? Where did you get that coat? Where did you get this sword?” _

 

_ “It is called a Keyblade,” Ruby looked over her father's shoulder, catching sight of a middle aged man with his hair in a top knot and several scars across his face, “It is a rare ability, Mister…?” _

 

_ “Who are you?” Tai asked, pushing Ruby behind him. _

 

_ “I am Master Eraqus,” Eraqus said, a keyblade with an E shaped extension, “a Keyblade Master.” _

 

\--- X  **Glynda** X---

 

Glynda watched the girl pacing around the interview room, not with malevolence, but with boredom. Considering she had been stuck in the room for the better part of two hours without any interaction, Glynda couldn't really blame her.

 

Glynda looked over as Ozpin stepped into the room, a tired sigh on his lips,”What's wrong?”

 

“I just finished talking to Qrow,” Ozpin said.

 

“And?”

 

“And he seemed quite surprised to find out Miss Rose was home to begin with. Evidently, the reason I wasn't able to find a file on her is because she doesn't  _ have _ one.”

 

“I refuse to believe she hasn't been trained,” Glynda said.

 

“I didn't say that,” Ozpin said, “I said she hadn't gone to any of the Academies. She trains with a reclusive swordsman, Eraqus.” 

 

“I've never heard of him,” Glynda said.

 

“Nor have I,” Ozpin said, “Unfortunately, Qrow is a bit busy at the moment, so I couldn't get any more from him than that.”

 

Glynda nodded, inferring that he was on the hunt for whoever attacked Amber, “What do we do? She crippled a man.”

 

“She crippled a criminal in the midst of a robbery,” Ozpin observed as the subject of their discussion passed right by the two way mirror, “Even if Torchwick managed to get her to court, the case would end in her favor within minutes. Come, let's speak to her.”

 

The minute they stepped into the room, Miss Rose whirled around, a wide smile on her face as she saw them, “Hi! I was worried I had been forgotten about or something!”

 

“How could anyone forget about such an adorable girl?” Ozpin asked.

 

“Are you,” the smile on Miss Rose face shrank, “Uh, flirting with me?”

 

“No,” Ozpin said.

 

“Oh,” Miss Rose’s smile grew again, “Good to hear!”

 

“Please, Miss Rose,” Ozpin gestured towards the table, “take a seat.”

 

“Ok!” Miss Rose said, sitting down across from them, “What's up?”

 

“Do you know who we are, Miss Rose?” Ozpin asked.

 

“Uhhh…” Miss Rose nibbled her lip, “No? Should I? Sorry, I don't spend much time around Vale.”

 

“We're friends of your uncle,” Ozpin said.

 

“Uncle Qrow?” Miss Rose's face blossomed into yet another smile, “I haven't seen him in a couple of months! How is he?” 

 

“He's doing well,” Ozpin said, “but he was surprised to hear you were in Vale, he said you were training with someone named Eraqus…”

 

“Master Eraqus,” Miss Rose's eyes flickered down, “Uh… passed away… a few days ago.”

 

“Ah…” Ozpin reached out, gently resting his hand on Ruby's, “You have our condolences.”

 

“Thanks,” Miss Ro- Ruby said, voice cracking slightly, “It's been a rough few weeks.”

 

“Can I take this to mean you currently don't have a source of training?” Ozpin asked.

 

“I guess,” Ruby said, “I'm technically supposed to find my own apprentice now… already have one, I guess.”

 

“Miss Rose,” Ozpin said, voice gentle, “You're fifteen, you can't have enough training to take an apprentice-”

 

“I have to!” Ruby insisted.

 

“Why?” Ozpin asked.

 

“Because someone has to!” Ruby’s voice let in some frustration.

 

“Where would you begin?” Ozpin asked.

 

“I'd go get them,” Ruby said.

 

“Begin  _ training _ ,” Ozpin stressed.

 

“I'd- I'd-” Ruby sagged, “I dunno. But I'll figure it out.”

 

“Why are you so determined to do this?” Ozpin asked.

 

“Because that's what Master Eraqus taught us,” Ruby said, “Someone needs to train the next generation, while the others go out and help people.”

 

“Then why can't the others do that?” Ozpin asked, “are they younger than you?”

 

“Ven wa- is,” Ruby said.

 

“And is he the only one?” 

 

“No.”

 

“Then why can't the others do it?”

 

“Terra's,” Ruby voice cracked again, “He's gone, and Aqua has to find him. It has to be me. Why do you care?”

 

“I am Professor Ozpin,” Ozpin said, “Headmaster of Beacon Academy, this is Glynda Goodwitch, a professor at Beacon. I would like to offer you a place at the Academy.”

 

Glynda’s head jerked over at those words, “Sir?”

 

“You’re clearly trained,” Ozpin said, “at least in part. We have a few open spots left this year.”

“I… I need to train-”

 

“Ruby,” Ozpin said, voice calm, “Whoever you plan to train, you aren't doing them any favors by doing it without being fully trained yourself.”

 

“I have to!” Ruby insisted, looking almost in tears.

 

“Then start off by doing it on weekends,” Ozpin said, “and spend the week learning. I’m sure we can do something to have your apprentice count towards school work, can't we, Glynda?”

 

Glynda looked at the girl sitting in front of her, feeling a tugging on her heartstrings as the girl appeared to edge closer to tears, “I'm sure we can.”

 

“Ok,” Ruby said, voice cracking.

 

“I'll go call your father,” Ozpin said, standing up and patting Ruby on the shoulder. 

 

“I called him when I got here,” Ruby said.

 

“Then he's probably waiting,” Ozpin said, “Let's go meet him, shall-?”

 

“You have no right to keep me from seeing my daughter,” Tai's voice snapped, all but yelling, “You haven't pressed charges, but I will of you keep-”

 

“There's no reason to be so hasty, Tai,” Ozpin said as he swung open the door, “Ruby's right here.”

 

“Dad?” Ruby said.

 

“Ruby?” Tai asked, Ruby's black coat over one arm, “is everything alright? You look-”

 

“Master Eraqus died, Dad,” Ruby's voice cracked.

 

“Come here,” Tai said, spreading his arms to catch her, “What happened? I thought-”

 

“Not here,” Ruby said.

 

“...Yeah,” Tai said ,”C'mon, let's go home.”


	2. Chapter 2

Tai looked at Ruby in the rear view mirror, who was playing with the armor she normally wore on her arm, “What happened?”

 

“It's complicated,” Ruby said.

 

“You're not getting out of explaining this,” Tai said.

 

“I'm not trying to,” Ruby said, “I'm just trying to figure out how to explain it… Ok, so, a couple weeks back, it was time for Aqua and Terra's Mark of Mastery test and… there was this other Master there, Xehanort-”

 

Tai blinked at the blistering anger in his daughter's voice. What the hell had this Xehanort guy done to provoke  _ that _ ?

 

“-Something went screwy during the first step,” Ruby said, “the dummies they were supposed to be fighting started to attack everyone in the room-”

 

“Were you alright?” Tai immediately interjected, turning enough that he could keep one eye on the road while the other landed on Ruby.

 

“Yeah,” Ruby shrugged, “Like, they weren't super dangerous, and even if they were, Aqua and Master Eraqus were there. I beat a couple up easier than a Creep.”

 

“That weak?” Tai asked with a guffaw. Creeps were easily the weakest Grimm in existence and it wasn't unheard of for them to be killed by untrained civilians.

 

“Yeah,” Ruby sighed, reaching behind her to rub her back, “After that, things got messy, though. Terra used Darkness during the fight they had to do, so Master said he wasn't ready for his Mark yet.”

 

“Ouch,” Tai winced slightly. It always hurt a student when he had to request they were held back, and he didn't have anywhere as close a relationship with any of his students (with the obvious, massive exception of Yang) as Eraqus had with his four. It just wasn't possible, he taught upward of twenty students per year in a single field, while Eraqus taught four for every part of their training. 

 

“Yeah,” Ruby's voice cracked, “That's where things started to go wrong. Terra ran away from the Land of Departure to try and track down Xehanort, and then Ven went after him, so Aqua went after  _ both _ of them-”

 

“And you went after them?” Tai asked,

 

“Nooo…” Ruby said, suddenly becoming very interested with her keyblade armor.

 

“Ruby…” Tai said, voice hardening just enough to make sure Ruby knew he wasn't playing around.

 

“Ok!” Ruby threw up her hands, “Ok! I did! Not much happened for a while. I killed some monsters, fought some pirates, it wasn't anything to worry about, Dad!”

 

“You are  _ so _ grounded,” Tai said, turning back to the wheel as they stopped in front of the ferry terminal.

 

“ _ Dad _ !” Ruby whined.

 

Tai didn't answer right away, instead handing over the card labeling them as inhabitants of Patch to the drowsy young man in the terminal. Once he handed the pass back and they were parked on the ferry, Tai turned back to Ruby, voice hoarse, “You could have died out there, Ruby.”

 

“But I didn't!” Ruby insisted.

 

“But you could have,” Tai said, “You could have died and me and Yang would have never known. How long would we have had to wait before we realized something was wrong?”

 

“Dad-” Ruby started, only to lapse into silence as Tai let out a sob.

 

“I can't do that, Ruby,” Tai said, planting in head on the top of the steering wheel as he felt tears stream down his face, “I already had to go through that with Summer, don't make me do it with you too.”

 

“...I won't,” Ruby said, “and… I'm sorry. I love you, Dad.”

 

“Love you too,” Tai said with a watery smile, “So, what happened?”

 

“What?” Ruby said, “Oh! Master Eraqus and Xehanort got into a fight about something, and Xehanort killed Eraqus. The four of us fought him-”

 

“Ruby-” Tai said.

 

“Sorry!” Ruby yelped, waving her arms again, “Sorry! That was, it wasn't good-”

 

“ _ Ruby _ ,” Tai repeated.

 

“I'm sorry!” Ruby squeaked, “Ven, he's in a coma, and Terra's missing-”

 

“What about you?” Tai asked.

 

“Nothing a Cure didn't heal.”

 

“What's that mean?” Tai said.

 

“Uh…” Ruby was suddenly interested in her armor again, “Noth-”

 

“ _ Ruby Rose _ ,” Tai said.

 

“My back got a bit screwed up,” Ruby said, “it's fine now-”

 

“You're showing me when we get home,” Tai said.

 

“Do I have to?” 

 

“Yes,” Tai said.

 

\--- X  _ Yang  _ X---

 

Yang woke up at the echo of crashing of metal, rolling out of bed and pulling on Ember Celica, rushing through the house.

 

Only to stop short as she entered the living room, mouth saying the first words that came to it as her brain froze, “Holy fucking shit, Rubes… What the hell happened?”

 

Ruby was seated on the couch, her shirt off as their father gaped at her back, the tray of food sitting on the ground in front of him as he stared. Finally, Tai let out a strangled, “That's  _ nothing _ ? Ruby, you look like someone pushed you into a woodchipper!”

 

“That's an exaggeration,” Ruby insisted, “Right, Yang?”

 

Maybe the smallest one in the world. Across Ruby’s back was a web of scars, some shallow and small, but others puckered and stretching from one edge of Ruby's back to the other, diagonally. Yang felt a primal growl rise up. What asshole did she have to beat the shit out of?

 

Tai reached out, pulling Ruby's shirt back on and pulling her into a hug, all but enveloping his younger daughter. Ruby's arms wrapped around Tai, curling slightly.

 

“What happened?” Tai asked.

 

“Keyblades,” Ruby said, “Xehanort created this tornado of them, and I fell on it at one point.”

 

“Damnit,” Tai muttered.

 

“It'll heal, eventually,” Ruby said, “Keyblade users are tough.”

 

Bullshit. You didn't  _ heal _ from that.

 

“Why are you acting like this is nothing?” Tai asked.

 

“Because I'm alive and can fight,” Ruby said, “So it is noth-”

 

“No, it isn't!” Tai snapped,  pulling back and shaking Ruby slightly, “You got hurt, you're allowed to feel i-”

 

“I'm not dead!” Ruby snapped in turn, “like Master Eraqus, I'm not in a coma, like Ven, and I'm not missing, like Terra! So it's nothing!”

 

“Who gave you that idea!?” Tai asked, both of them apparently forgetting Yang was in the room. The brawler was painfully aware that she shouldn't be here for this, that is was a private argument, but at the same time, her legs had locked up, refusing to move, “was it Aqua? Did she tell you that you weren't allowed to be-?”

 

Tai didn't finish the sentence, as Ruby's fist impacted his chest, a soft thump coming across the room as Ruby hammered her fist into Tai's chest again and again, “Don't you  _ dare _ ! Aqua didn't tell me that! I just- just-”

 

“Blame yourself?” Tai asked, voice soft, “feel like you should have done more? I know… when Summer died, it was the same. I should have been there to help her, I should have-”

 

“That's not true,” Ruby's voice wavered.

 

“Then why is it true for you?” Tai asked.

 

“Because I was there!” Ruby said, “and was too weak! I should have said something to Master Eraqus, that you can't have Light withou-”

 

“Nobody blames you for it,” Tai said, “I only met Aqua, Terra and Ven a few times, but they cared about you, none of them would blame you for it…”

 

“I-” Ruby choked, a black portal opening in the floor behind her, “I need to go.”

 

“Wait-!” Before Tai could finish, Ruby tipped back, vanishing into the darkness that shut behind her, leaving Tai scrabbling against the wood.

 

\---X  **Riku** X---

 

Riku climbed out of his rowboat, rushing across the sand toward where he kept his wooden sword. School was out! Summer vacation, here he came!

 

Sora didn't know how lucky he was, not having to go to school, being able to pla-

 

Riku slowed down as the sound of quiet crying hit his ears, eyes landing on the girl sitting on the sand, eyes buried into her knees. Riku didn't waste any time blurting out, “Aren't you hot?”

 

It was a good question, in Riku's mind. The girl was wearing black clothing that weren't like anything Riku had seen before. She looked up then, eyes widening slightly as she pushed herself up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

 

“Oh!” she said, “I'm alright, I'm fine!”

 

“You… don't seem alright,” Riku said, “what's wrong?”

 

“It's nothing,” she insisted. 

 

“Why'd you be crying over nothing?” Riku asked, following her.

 

“I just got into an argument with my dad-”

 

“So it wasn't nothing!” Riku cried, pointing a finger at her.

 

“I guess not,” she said, giving a sad smile at him.

 

“So what are you doing out here?” Riku asked.

 

“I need to find someone for a friend of mine, Terra.”

 

“Is Terra the friend or who you're looking for?” Riku asked.

 

“The friend,” she said, “I’m looking for someone named... uh… Ridu or Rinu or-”

 

“Riku?”

 

“Yeah!” she nodded, “do you know him?”

 

“I'm Riku!”

 

“Oh, good!” She said, smiling broadly, “I'm Ruby!”

 

“Nice to meet you!” Riku smiled, “So, uh, why were you looking for me?” 

 

“Well,” Ruby said, “It's a bit of a long story. Why don't we go sit down?”

 

\--- X  **Ruby** X---

 

“And that's what's going on,” Ruby said, sitting on a tree across from Riku with Crescent Rose in her lap. The boy was shadow fencing with Master Defender, or at least, would be if the sword wasn't nearly as tall as him.

 

“So, you're like a supercop who goes across the uni- universe helping people?” Riku asked, giving a valiant attempt to swing Master Defender. The keyblade flew out of his hand, nearly impaling Ruby as she dove away in a flurry of petals, “Sorry! Sorry!”

 

“It's fine,” Ruby said, doing her best to emulate what Master Eraqus would do when she started and made mistakes. Holding out her hand, Master Defender appeared in it in a flash of purple light. Turning the keyblade, she offered it back to Riku to play with, “That was the plan, anyways.”

 

“So what changed?” Riku asked, carefully taking the keyblade from Ruby again. It was only when Ruby returned to the cross legged position on the tree that he apparently felt comfortable enough to return to play fighting with Master Defender. 

 

“My teacher, Master Eraqus, died,” Ruby said, gripping her keyblade so hard her hand blatched.

 

“Oh,” Riku said, “Sorry… my Grandma died last month. Mom still gets sad about it sometimes.”

 

Ruby didn't say anything, painfully reminded of how  _ she _ had been when her mother died. An accidental salting of the wound to her dad.

 

She needed to make things up to him. Maybe becoming the Master who trained instead of the one who saved was a good thing…

 

That was a bitter pill. 

 

“So, why can't Terra do the training?” Riku asked, blocking the air.

 

“Terra's… missing,” Ruby said. 

 

“Where is he?” Riku asked, turning towards Ruby as she hopped off the tree, booping him gently on the nose.

 

“If I knew that, he wouldn't be missing, would he?”

 

“Oh, yeah,” Riku nodded, “can we go?”

 

“What?” Ruby asked, taken aback by the sudden change of topic, “Go where?”

 

“To another world?” Riku asked, “just for a bit? Please? Destiny Islands is so small, you've got to know a bigger place, right?”

 

Ruby bit her lip, nibbling it before summoning her coat to her. Lifting it, she draped it over Riku, taking his hand, “Ok, but you have to wear that until I say you can take it off and hold my hand, ok?”

 

“Ok!” Riku nodded, grabbing Ruby's hand as Master Defender disappeared in a flash of purple light. In front of them, a black portal opened and they stepped into it.

 

“Why's it so dark here?” Riku asked as they walked along the tunnel.

 

“It just is,” Ruby said, “We shouldn't be in here for very long…”

 

They finally stepped out of the tunnel into the night air of Vale, and Ruby's Scroll immediately beeped to life in a storm of alerts. Ruby let go of Riku's hand, flicking open the holographic display and feeling a spike of guilt as she was hailed by a storm of messages from her Dad and Yang.

 

_ Where are you? _

 

_ Please come home. _

 

_ I'm not angry. _

 

_ I'm worried.  _

 

_ Ruby. _

 

_ Please. _

 

Ruby stepped away from Riku, opening her contacts and calling her dad.

 

“Ruby!” Tai's frantic voice immediately picked up, “Where are you?”

 

“Hi, Dad,” Ruby said, “I'm sorry about earlier-”

 

“Where are you?” Tai repeated.

 

“Vale-”

 

“I'll be right there,” Tai said, “Send me your location, ok?”

 

“Ok-” Ruby's voice died as she turned, immediately realizing Riku had wandered off.

 

Oh no. 

 

She had lost him…

 

She had lost a kid in Vale in  _ minutes _ ...

 

She had lost a kid in Vale in minutes after taking him from his homeworld.

 

She was the worst Keyblade Master  _ ever _ .

 

“I'll call you back,” Ruby said, hanging up and hitting the button to send her location to her dad, rushing out of the alley.

 

\---X  **Riku** X---

 

Riku felt a smile pull across his face as he walked along the sidewalk, head craned up as he took in the massive buildings around him. He had been sure Destiny Islands was small, but this was proof!

 

That building had to have, one, two, three, four five, six, uh, seven…

 

Riku gave up after that, head spinning. Why would you need a building so tall? You could fit the entire inhab… inhab… people who lived on Destiny Islands in it!

 

“Pretty impressive, eh?” Riku jumped in place, whirling to see a man with the same coat as him sitting on the bench with one foot on his knee, throwing a glass ball with something in it up and down, “Musta taken a long time to build, right?”

 

“Uh, yeah,” Riku said.

 

“Relax, kid,” he said, “I'm a friend of Ruby. I ain't gonna offer you candy, then shove ya in a van and drive away.”

 

“Why would you do that?” Riku asked.

 

“I wouldn't!” The man said, “Didn't you hear what I just said, or do you have cotton in your ears?”

 

“Uh,” Riku reached up and into his ears, “No?”

 

“...I hate kids your age,” the man sighed, catching the ball and letting Riku see the plush at the bottom as he raised his hand, dropping fingers on it. “Way too literal. Give me Luxu II any day. Riling her up is way more fun.”

 

“Riku!” as if on cue, whatever that actually meant, Ruby came rushing to them, ignoring the clenched fist of the man to bundle Riku into a hug, “Do you know how worried I was? Why'd you run off like that?”

 

“I wanted to see the world,” Riku complained around Ruby's chest, “And you were busy talking with whoever.”

 

“Really, Luxu?” the man said, “You ignored a little kid to talk to someone else? Was she at least pretty?”

 

“You know who I was talking to,” Ruby said, standing up.

 

“I like to imagine my adorable apprentice talks to pretty girls than her father,” the man said, “Much less embarrassing. Plus, I don't watch you at every moment. It'd be super creepy when you were on the can and stuff.”

 

“Thank Dust for that,” Ruby muttered, “what are you doing here, Master?”

 

“Well you see,” the man said, “Today, well, yesterday, whatever, is a big, big, big day! My adorable apprentice, Luxu, became a Keyblade Master! She finished her apprenticeship! She got into a fight with another Master, got her back mulched, and got an apprentice of her own! As such, it seemed fitting for me to drop by and give my grandapprentice-”

 

“You made that up,” Ruby accused.

 

“Who I, the Master of all Masters,” the man ignored Ruby, swinging his arms wide, “hereby dub Superbia-”

 

“Are they actors?” Someone asked, “That guy's really overacting…”

 

“His name is Riku,” Ruby said, voice tired and sounding like she had said that before.

 

“A gift!” the man held up his glass ball, “It's old, it’s new again! It's coming back into style! Luxu, Superbia, I give you, Chirithy!”

 

The man pelted the ball right down, smashing against the sidewalk. There was a long moment of silence, before the plush jumped up with a high pitched yelp, “Did you have to wake me up so rough?”

 

“Your kind sleep like the dead,” the man said.

 

“It can talk?” Riku asked.

 

“Is that a new toy?” one of the gathered crowd asked.

 

“Who's my owner?” the cat like plush asked, pointing between Riku and Ruby with one hand.

 

“Half and half,” the Man in Black said, “You're gonna live with the younger one, but if the older asks you to do something, you do it, understand?”

 

“Yes sir!” the plush saluted, before turning in place and doing the same to Ruby and Riku, “Hello! I'm Chirithy, I'm your assistant, uh…”

 

“Foreteller Luxu II and her apprentice Superbia,” the man in black said.

 

“I'm Ruby,” Ruby sighed, but also seemed to swell with pride,  “He's Riku.”

 

“Nice to meet you!” Chirithy walked towards them, grabbing onto Riku's coat and using it to climb up onto his shoulder, “I hope we can be good friends, Riku!”

 

“Oi! You’re ignoring me?” the man complained, “Superbia and Luxu are their names! I brought you into this world you defective piece-a-”

 

“Your name is Riku right?” Chirithy asked.

 

“Uh,” Riku looked at the man, who was shaking his fist at Chirithy, “Yes?”

 

“Gah! Buncha ungrateful little brats,” the man threw up his hands.

 

“Ignore him,” Ruby said, “He wants people to pay attention to him.”

 

“You too, Luxu?” 

 

“Never hesitate to speak my mind,” Ruby said.

 

“...Touchè,” the man sighed, reaching out and patting Ruby on the head, “So, speaking of watching you do stuff, ya didn't do half bad in that fight with Vani-whatever. Aced would be frothing at someone figurin’ out his technique.”

 

“Uh… thanks?” Ruby said.

 

“You're welcome, kiddo,” the man said, “Now, I bid you adieu, as they say in some places, because in exactly thirty seconds, your pops is gonna burst through that crowd, and I don't want to deal with that.” 

 

Another of the black portals opened behind the man, who turned on his heel and walked into it. The portal slid shut just as a blond man came running through the crowd.

 

“Dad!” Ruby called as her dad pulled her into a hug, “I'm sorry about earlier. I just… I'm sorry.”

 

“It's fine,” the man said, “I'm just glad you're safe and home… Whose this?”

 

“This is Riku,” Ruby said, “My apprentice.”

 

“And I'm her assistant, Chirithy!” Chirithy said.

 

“Nice to, uh, nice to meet you,” the man said, “I’m Tai. Apprentice?”

 

“I need to train some,” Ruby explained.

 

“Where's he gonna stay?”

 

“At his home,” Ruby said, “Which I need to bring him back to. I'll see you at home, Ok?”

 

“After I drove all the way here?” Tai sighed.

 

“Do you want to have us go home, then I'll bring Riku to his?” Ruby asked, “I can.”

 

“Sure,” Tai said, “at least then I won't feel like I wasted fuel for nothing…”

 

\--- X  _ Ruby  _ X---

 

_ Ruby dodged the sword swing, “Ven, please, snap out of it!” _

 

_ “Ruby?” The rictus grin on Ven's face faded and he looked around in confusion, “What's going on? Did we win?” _

 

_ “Ven,” Ruby sighed lowering her Keyblade, “Thank-” _

 

_ Before Ruby could react, Ven's hand lashed out, grabbing her neck and beginning to crush it. Ruby struggled for air around the metal of hwr keyblade armor, “Were you actually so stupid you fell for that? I can't-” _

 

_ “Thunderga!” Lightning crashed into Vanitas's side, sending the red and black clad warrior flying back from Ruby as Aqua rushed over to her. _

 

_ Ruby took a wheezing gasp of air, taking Aqua's offered hand and staggering up. _

 

_ “You bitch!” Vanitas snarled, suddenly vanishing as the twister of keyblades Xehanort had created came flying towards them. Ruby grabbed Aqua by the arm, focusing on the nearest cliff, and swung Crescent Rose.   _

 

_ Time slowed as the space between them was swallowed before righting itself, leaving the tornado to pulverize the ground Aqua and Ruby had been standing on. Ruby staggered slightly, using Crescent Rose to stay upright.  _

 

_ “Curaga!” Aqua said, a wave refreshing energy washing over Ruby. _

 

_ “Thanks,” Ruby focused on where Vanitas was standing, “Be ready!” _

 

_ “Wha-?” Ruby swung Crescent Rose, the space between them and Vanitas warping.  _

 

_ “What the fu-?” Before Vanitas could finish, Ruby launched herself at him, her Keyblade clashing with the X-blade as the ground beneath them exploded and Vanitas was left struggling. _

 

_ “Firaga!” Aqua yelled, her keyblade pointing right at Vanitas as an explosive blast of fire hitting him and sending him flying back into the wall. Ruby didn't hesitate, pushing off the ground and slashing into Vanitas, kicking him away from the wall and changing Crescent Rose into scythe form as she kicked off the wall, dragging him away from the wall and throwing him high in the air before summoning her shotlock. _

 

_ “Caress of-!” _

 

_ “Reflega!” Ruby's eyes widened as the barrier formed around her, just before the tornado crashed into her, sending her flying up against Vanitas, who span the X-blade around and stabbed it into the barrier spell.  _

 

_ “Just give up and die already!” Vanitas ordered. _

 

_ “Burst!” Aqua called, the tornado and Vanitas flying away from Ruby as she flipped in place, summoning Crescent Rose and warping the space between her and Aqua. Ruby crashed into the ground as the momentum carried on. Ruby took Aqua's hand again, staggering up, “Be more careful!” _

 

_ “Right,” Ruby nodded, focusing on Vanitas, “I have an idea…” _

 

_ “Then do it!” _

 

_ “Stopga!” Ruby called, time grinding to a halt around her. Summoning Crescent Rose in rifle form, she fired twelve white shots towards Vanitas, once they got about two feet from Ruby, they froze in place. Lowering Crescent Rose, Ruby heaved a sigh of relief as Stopga ran out.  _

 

_ All twelve shots hit home less then a second later, causing an explosion of light in the air. Before Ruby respond, however, a voice spoke from behind her, “Why are you shooting at air, idiot?” _

 

_ Vanitas’s foot smashed into Ruby's side as the X-blade clashed with Aqua's Keyblade, sending the younger Keyblade user off the cliff and right onto the tornado. Ruby’s armor cracked shattered as the keyblades crashed into it, eventually shattering completely as the twister ripped through her Aura like paper.   _

 

_ Ruby flinched as the twister smashed into her bare back, before a white orb formed around her with a cry of “Pearl!”  _

 

_ Smashing onto the ground, Ruby opened an eye to see a bipedal mouse standing in front of her, “Mi-Mickey?” _

 

_ “Hold still,” the king of Disney Castle ordered her as walked stepped around her, “Curaga!”  _

 

_ Ruby dispeled her armor before resummoning it, pointing towards the cliff, “Aqua's up there, we have to go-” _

 

_ “Right,” Mickey nodded, “You stay here, I'll-” _

 

_ “I'm not out of the fight yet,” Ruby insisted. _

 

_ “Are you sure?” Mickey asked. _

 

_ “Yeah,” Ruby grabbed his hand, warping the space between them and Vanitas. _

 

_ The X-blade was swinging for Aqua, who dodged around the strike with a pirouette. Ruby shifted Crescent Rose again, blasting Vanitas in the back of the head and causing him to stagger.  _

 

_ “Aqua!” Mickey called, placing his Keyblade next to Ruby’s. _

 

_ “Right!” Aqua cartwheeled over to them, adding her Keyblade to it, offering Ruby her Wayfinder with the other. Ruby clasped hands with Aqua, lacing their fingers and breathed in as Vanitas rushed for them, pulling the trigger. _

 

_ The shot clashed with the X-blade pushing Vanitas back before finally, mercifully, the blade shattered in an explosion of light. Vanitas’s bodysuit flaked away, revealing Ven's armor as the yellow eyes were replaced with Ven's blue.  _

 

_ Ruby and Aqua rushed forward, fighting against the light, until they caught Ven, dragging him into an embrace as the Light overtook them. _

 

_ \--- _

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there a reference to another series at one point in this chapter, cookies to whoever recognizes it (and I'm gonna stop you right there, it isn't Ruby warping space as a reference to Vista from Worm, I don't think you all idiots. That's actually a reference to Aced, the angriest Foreteller)
> 
> Thoughts and Opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?


	3. Chapter 3

Blake looked up from her book, trying to hide the discomfort she was feeling as she stepped onto the soil of Beacon for the first time… Ok, so it was actually pavement.

 

What was she doing here? Adam always insisted that Huntsmen were at the heart of the abuse Faunus suffered…

 

She supposed that was why. Beacon was the last place Adam would look for her, short of Atlas.

 

“So, uh,” Blake glanced over at the source of that, eyebrows jumping up as her eyes landed on a blond around her age and a brunette wearing a black coat with armor over one arm who definitely  _ wasn't _ , “Where do we go now?”

 

“Dunno,” the blond intoned, looking around, “I guess we follow the crowd.”

 

“Yeah,” the brunette said, silver eyes briefly passing over Blake before returning to the front, “I guess so…”

 

Blake carefully matched their pace, staying behind them as her curiosity was piqued, while keeping her eyes on her book. What was this girl doing here? She wasn't old enough to be a student, right?

 

“So, sis,” the blond said.

 

“Mh?”

 

“That kid, uh… Riku?”

 

“What about him?”

 

“How's that gonna work out?” the blond said.

 

“What'd ya mean?”

 

“Is it like a thing where Aqua gets custody of him durin’ weeks and you get weekends, or…?”

 

“He's not our kid,” the younger girl sighed, looking around, “And Aqua isn't gonna be around until she finds Terra.”

 

“Right, right,” the blonde waved a hand, “but what happens if she does find Terra? Like, that could take years  _ or _ days, right?”

 

“I… I don't know,” the other shrugged, running her hand through her red-brown hair, fluffing it, “I'm kinda playing it by ear right now…”

 

“...You sure you're ready for this?”

 

“For what?”

 

“Everything,” the blonde said, “You haven't been to school since ya got your keyblade, and things have been rough lately.”

 

Key… blade...?

 

“School wasn't that bad,” the brunette argued.

 

“You haven't gone to school in years,” Blonde argued, “You probably don't really remember it, do ya?”

 

“...It can't be that different from training with Master Eraqus, Yang.”

 

“Oh, yeah? How?”

 

“We're living here, right?”

 

“That's the smallest thing in common in the world.”

 

“And, uh, uh…” Brunette nibbled her lip, eyes scanning the area again, “We're learning to fight! Not sure how much I’m gonna learn, compared to getting my butt kicked by Yeager and the Unversed, but…”

 

“Who?”

 

“He was a guy I ran into while I was lookin’ for the others, he, uh, he pummeled the crud outta me. Kinda reminded me of Uncle Qrow.”

 

“And you call that learning?” 

 

“I figured out some stuff from the fights I had, watch... Hey! You wanna walk next to us instead of just sneaking behind us?”

 

Blake jumped in place as the girl's head turned slightly, just enough that one silver eye met Blake's golden. Yang turned, head jumping back  “Whoa! What- how long have you been following us?”

 

“Since we got off the ship,” the other said.

 

“Sorry,” Blake apologized sheepishly, “I was curious why someone so young was at Beacon…”

 

“Then why not ask?” the brunette questioned, “like, the chances of us just happening to talk about it were pretty low, right?”

 

It's what happened in books.

 

“That's what she complains about?” Yang grumbled under her breath.

 

“So, uh, what  _ are _ you doing at Beacon?” Blake asked.

 

“Master Ozpin invited me-” before she could finish, Yang lightly cuffed the back of her head, “What was that for!?”

 

“Professor Ozpin,” Yang intoned.

 

“Right,” she mumbled, apparently deflating, “right…”

 

“Master?” Blake asked.

 

“Ruby trained with a sword master ‘till recently,” Yang explained.

 

“Ah,” Blake nodded, as she examined Ruby. Her reaction probably meant the master had died… “That kind of mistake happens to everyone.”

 

“Thanks,” Ruby said, still staring at the ground.

 

“I mean it,” Blake said, “if you're used to calling someone in a position of power one thing, you're more likely to call someone in a similar position the same thing.”

 

Yang silently mouthed a thank you over Ruby’s head as Ruby finally broke from staring at the ground, silver eyes meeting Blake’s gaze, “Thanks…”

 

“Anytime,” Blake said, “We should probably get to the welcome speech.”

 

“Oh, yeah,” Ruby said, nodding.

 

\--- X  **Yang** X---

 

Yang took a moment to breath in as Ruby entered the bathroom to change, before whirling in place, standing in front of the door. Crossing her arms in front of her, she began staring down the next person in line, a redhead with green eyes, “You're gonna have to wait a few.”

 

“Why?” the redhead asked, “isn't that a communal-”

 

“My sister has a skin… thing,” Yang hesitated. How else did you describe a mess of scars across someone's back?

 

“Is it contagious?” the redhead asked.

 

“No,” Yang said, voice still brokering no argument.

 

“Then surely-”

 

“No,” Yang cut her off.

 

“But-”

 

“No.”

 

Yang felt herself grow tense as she stared down the redhead, trying to figure out why she looked familiar. The redhead, in turn, was watching Yang, until finally, she nodded, “Ok.”

 

What.

 

“Ok?” Yang asked as the redhead stepped back, crossing her arms behind her back.

 

“I'm sure you have your reasons for being so determined,” the other girl said, “We have all night, so a few minutes is-”

 

“What's the hold up?” a slightly bossy voice demanded from behind the redhead, “We don't have all night!”

 

Yang tilted her head enough to see the other, white haired girl standing behind the redhead with her hands on her hips, “You're gonna have to wait.”

 

“And why's that?” the white haired girl demanded. 

 

“My sister has a skin thing,” Yang repeated, “So you're gonna have to wait for her to be done.”

 

“‘A skin thing’? What does that even mean?”

 

“None of your business, Ice Queen,” Yang said.

 

“I-!”

 

“Yang?” Yang's head swiveled towards Ruby, who was standing in her polka dot pajamas, “What's going on? Why aren't you changed?”

 

“Don't worry about it,” Yang said, stepping aside, “I'll meet you at our stuff, ok?”

 

“Ok,” Ruby nodded, wandering down the hall without meeting the eyes of any of the others as she pulled out her Scroll and began to watch something on it.

 

“What?” Yang snapped at Ice Queen as she gaped after Ruby.

 

“What's a little girl doing at Beac-?”

 

“She's taller than you,” Yang snarked.

 

“That’s not what I meant,” Ice Queen hissed, “She's too young-!”

 

“Take it up with Ozpin,” Yang said as she turned away from them and disappeared into the bathroom, “He's the one who invited her.”

 

\--- X  **Ruby** X---

 

“-It is in your best interest to find someone with whom you can work well,” Ruby nodded at Ozpin’s words. That made sense. It did make her wish Aqua was here tho- “that being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years- Yes, Miss Rose?”

 

“Doesn't, uh, doesn't that defeat the purpose of finding someone we can work with?” Ruby asked, hand in the air.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Ok, then,” Ruby muttered lowering her hand.

 

“Once you have partnered up, make your way to the northern part of the forest and retrieve a relic from the temple there while combating the Grimm in your way,” Ozpin continued, “You will be monitored by the teachers and upperclassmen of Beacon during this time. Should you arrive in a scenario where death turns from a  _ risk _ to a  _ certainty _ , then, and  _ only _ then, will they intervene. If that happens, you will be immediately expelled from Beacon. Am I understood?”

 

Everyone nodded, except a blond boy, who raised one hand, “Uh, sir-”

 

“Good,” Ozpin said, ignoring the boy, “Then we'll begin. Prepare your landing strategies.”

 

Ruby reached up, hand hovering over the pauldron on her right shoulder, before looking over at Yang, “See you in the forest?”

 

“Yep,” Yang grinned. 

 

Ruby nodded, slamming her hand onto the pauldron. In a flash of light and the fraction of a second, Ruby's coat vanished, replaced with a suit of red and black armor and a red cloak. Looking down, Ruby gripped the blood red Wayfinder Aqua had given her from its spot hanging from her neck.

 

That didn't feel like it was a month ago. If felt like it was an eternity, a different life.

 

In the back of her mind, she felt the links channeled through the enchanted stained glass pulse like heartbeats. Two, distressingly weak, but still there, one, flowing stronger than all the others, six normal, and one...

 

Wait.

 

Where was Zack?

 

_ Where was Zack!? _

 

Ruby let out a whimper as she resisted the urge to open a Corridor and bolt to where she had last seen him. What did that mean? Was he dead?

 

“When you're talking about ‘landing strategies’,” the boy continued as people began to launch, Ruby pacing on her platform.

 

“What's wrong?” Yang asked under her breath as Ruby wildly shook her head.

 

“Not here,” she said, voice distorted by the helm of her armor. 

 

“Nerves?”

 

“Yeah,” Ruby lied.

 

“Don't worry about it. Unless Eraqus let you slack off all the time, you probably have more training than anyone,” Yang grinned, slugging Ruby’s shoulder before recoiling, waving her hand, “Gah! What's that armor made of, Rubes?”

 

Ruby shrugged. She honestly didn't know.

 

Yang pulled on her aviators, winking at Ruby as the catapult under her fired her into the air. Shortly after, the noise of Ember Celica going off echoed around the area.

 

“So, are you handing us parachutes?”

 

“No,” Ozpin said, causally toasting Ruby just before she was launched into the air and away from them.

 

Ruby summoned Crescent Rose, focusing on Yang, and swung her Keyblade, crushing the space between them, once, twice, thrice before Yang vanished into the treeline. Spinning Crescent Rose, Ruby cast Reflega, a barrier forming around her as she crashed through the trees.

 

The barrier shattered as it impacted the base of one tree, causing the tree to tip and collapse with a loud crash. Ruby stood up, brushing the dust that had gathered off.

 

Alright, who to partner with? Yang, obviously. Maybe that other girl, the one with black hair that had been following her and Yang yesterday before vanishing when they reached the hall.

 

Uh…

 

Who else?

 

She didn't know anyone else.

 

Crud…

 

Ruby's eyes flicked up as a pair of Ursa came prowling from the trees, grabbing Crescent Rose with her left hand. Ruby stared down the Grimm, preparing to attack them.

 

Time slowed to a near halt as they stepped forward, Ruby lowering herself. For a second, she pictured a strong, brotherly hand resting on top of hers.

 

Ruby activated her Semblance, slashing out as she sped through both Ursa. Behind her, the Grimm collapsed in two separate pieces as rose petals floated around her.

 

Zantetsuken.

 

Thanks, Terra.

 

Ruby's eyes snapped to the side as more Grimm came prowling towards her, turning Crescent Rose towards the Beowolves. 

 

Before she could attack them, a shadow fell from the trees, killing both Grimm. The black haired girl stood, offering a small smile to Ruby, “Guess we're partners, huh?”

 

\--- X  **Blake** X---

 

Blake watched Ruby carefully, looking at the helm covering her face, taking in the flared wings on it.

 

It was… strange, nowadays, to see someone in full plate armor. The long accepted wisdom was, while writers often played up the downsides of it, it ultimately wasn't worth the added effort when Aura filled the same role.

 

For a long moment, Ruby didn't say anything, before a flash of light covered her. When it faded, the younger girl’s armor had disappeared, replaced with the black coat she had been wearing before. Semblance?

 

“Yeah,” Ruby said, stepping away from the sword she had been using, holding out her unarmored hand as she met Blake's eyes, “I'm Ruby Rose and this is Crescent Rose.”

 

Blake's eyes jumped to the sword as she took Ruby's hand, a shiver running down her spine as the slitted blue eye in the guard of the serrated blade stared at her. It felt like it was watching her.

 

No, more than that, it felt like it was examining her, learning everything it could with a gaze. Blake looked away, trying to ignore it, “I'm Blake Belladonna.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” Ruby said, giving a small smile as she drew the sword from the ground, not even flinching as it disappeared in a flash of smoke and fire, “Now, uh, which way is north?”

 

Blake quickly reached into a pouch on the side of her waist, fishing out a compass and flicking it open. The shard of gravity Dust surrounded by metal to their left, “That way.”

 

“You have a compass with you?” Ruby asked, blinking at the item in Blake's hand, “Why?”

 

Blake’s eyes flicked to the inscription on the top of the compass, before snapping it shut and stowing it away at the spike of guilt, “It was a gift from my dad before I left home. We used to go camping a lot.”

 

“Ah,” Ruby nodded, “My dad gave me a Scroll before I went to train with Master Eraqus.”

 

“That's a pretty big gift,” Blake observed. Most Huntsman waited until they reached secondary schools, where you were given a Scroll for free.

 

“He wanted me to be able to take pictures,” Ruby explained, “I’ll have to show you some of them sometimes.” 

 

Blake nodded, slowly settling into the idea that her and Ruby were going to be partners for the next four years.

 

“Are you going to put your armor back on?” Blake asked.

 

“No,” Ruby said, Crescent Rose appearing in her hand, “it was my landing strategy.”

 

Armor was her landing strategy?

 

“Right, then,” Blake drawled as the wind flowed from the east, “Let's get going, shall we?”

 

“Yeah,” Ruby muttered.

 

\---X  **Yang** X---

 

Yang trekked through the forest, hands in her pockets as she whistled to herself off key. She briefly toyed with calling Ruby, before resigning herself to doing this the old fashioned way when she pulled out her Scroll and found it had no connection. 

 

Bit weird, seeing as they were so close to the CCT. It was like there was a dampener-

 

Oh, those clever jerks.

 

Yang shoved her Scroll back into her pocket, looking around for the nearest camera and making a rude gesture towards it. This was their plan, wasn't it?

 

“Hello?” Yang whirled in place, eyes meeting the green eyes of the redhead from yesterday.

 

“Uh, hi,”  Yang said. Sorry, Ruby, “Guess we're partners now, huh?”

 

“Yes, it would seem so,” the girl said, a shield on her back and a spear in her hand, “the last people I ran into had, unfortunately, already partnered up. In spite of Weiss’s insistence that Professor Ozpin wasn't serious about the first person we meet being our partner, I nonetheless decided to leave and find another.”

 

“Yeah,” Yang said. Weiss? Who was that? “I'm Yang, Yang Xiao Long.”

 

“A pleasure to meet you, Yang,” the other girl said with a quick smile.

 

…

 

“So, ya gonna tell me your name, or am I just gonna call you ‘Partner’ all day?”

 

“You… don't know me?”

 

“You look familiar,” Yang said, voice blase, “but I don't know from where.”

 

“I'm Pyrrha Nikos,” the redhead said.

 

“Oh!” Yang said, “That tournament fighter my dad used to play for the class?”

 

“Your father?”

 

“He's the combat teacher at Signal,” Yang explained, “Used to show your matches and point out what your opponents did wrong… and how some of your stuff wouldn't work on Grimm.”

 

“Very wise,” Pyrrha nodded, “My matches rely on my opponents being other tournament fighters. It wouldn't begin to translate well against Grimm or even bandits.”

 

“But you can fight those, right?” Yang asked.

 

“Yes,” Pyrrha smiled, “I went to Sanctum, so I still learned how to fight Grimm.”

 

“Ok, good,” Yang sighed, “It'd be a pain to be stuck with a partner who doesn't know how to fight Grimm.”

 

“It'd be a bit worrying if there was anyone at Beacon who didn't know how to do that,” Pyrrha agreed, “Shall we begin to head north?”

 

“Yeah,” Yang nodded in agreement, “But, uh… which way is north?”

 

Pyrrha reached into a pouch on her side, pulling out a pin and carefully positioning it on the tip of her finger, where it span briefly before coming to a stop, “That way.”

 

“How'd you do that?” Yang asked.

 

Pyrrha opened her mouth, before pausing, raising her other hand to it and laughing, “I'm sorry, I've been keeping it a secret for so long I almost did it on instinct. It's my Semblance, Magnetis-”

 

“Help!”

 

“What was that?” Yang asked.

 

“I-”

 

Before they could finish, a blond boy and the white haired girl from the night before came rushing through the trees, followed by a swarm of Deathstalkers and one massive one.

 

“Oh, shoot,” Yang breathed.

 

“Might I suggest a tacti-” Pyrrha started.

 

“One syllable or less, Pyr,” Yang said.

 

“Run.”

 

“Yeah,” Yang turned and began to retreat, “that's a good idea. At least until we find some of the othe-”

 

“Now's not the time to rattle on,” Pyrrha rebuked.

 

“Good point,” Yang said, “Run!”

 

\---X  **Blake** X---

 

Blake and Ruby stopped at the yells, sharing a look, “What was that?”

 

“Dunno,” Ruby said, turning, “Should we go-?”

 

Before they Ruby finished, Yang and three others, including Weiss Schnee and Pyrrha Nikos, came running from the trees, “Grimm!”

 

“What?”

 

“Grimm!” Yang repeated, “Lots and lots of Grimm!”

 

“How many-” the question died on Blake's lips as she caught sight of the red eyes of Grimm.

 

Ruby moved forward in a blur, the red of her hair tips changing to blue as she clutched a glass talisman in her armored hand. In the other hand, a sword with a square guard and teeth in the shape of an E appeared. 

 

Wait.

 

Blake's eyes jumped to Crescent Rose, ignoring the eye to stare at the serrations along the back of the blade, useless for cutting.

 

Because they weren't serrations, they were  _ teeth _ .

 

So that's what they meant by ‘keyblade’. A weapon that was literally some lunatic’s fusion of a sword and key.

 

_ Why _ ?

 

“Reflectja!” Ruby barked as she impaled the sword into the ground, a giant, glass-like barrier forming around the six, chains of white light forming a mesh cage under it as the smaller, fist sized Deathstalkers crawled on it, occasionally stabbing it with their stingers. 

 

Finally, the largest one, the size of a truck, came barreling through the treeline, lunging forward and stabbing into the barrier. Cracks formed as Ruby grit her teeth, eyes screwing up.

 

“Ruby-” Yang started.

 

“I'm fine!” Ruby insisted as the barrier began to fix itself, before the smaller Deathstalkers began to dig into the ground, distracting her, “No!”

 

“You focus on keeping the barrier up,” Pyrrha ordered, taking her shield off her back and drawing her sword with her right hand, “We can deal with the smaller ones, but we need to keep the larger away!

 

Ruby nodded, the cracks sealing again. Blake reached out, planting a hand on her shoulder, “Are you-?”

 

“Fine,” Ruby smiled, “just keep them off me.”

 

Blake drew Gambol Shroud off her back and unsheathed it, shifting it to pistol form as she waited for the first Deathstalker to climb into the barrier. Before she could shoot it, however, Pyrrha beat her to it.

 

The champion didn't even look, busy crushing another between her shield and the barrier. She shifted her sword into a rifle, bracing it against the barrier, and fired. 

 

Blake looked behind them as several Grimm crawled along the outside, watching them dig under, and saw the blond boy standing there, clutching his sword, “What are you doing!?”

 

“I don't know what to do!” he said.

 

Great. Grimm on all side, one member busy keeping them from being swarmed while another was useless.

 

She should have gone to Atlas.

 

Blake chose to ignore him, firing at the Grimm entering from behind while staying close to Ruby, who was shaking, sweat pouring down her face. Each time the Deathstalker smashed its tail into the barrier, Ruby gave a particularly pronounced shake.

 

“How many are there?” Weiss snapped, a glyph appearing in front of her and unleashing a short range blast of energy that sent ten Deathstalkers smashing into the barrier with a splatter.

 

“How should we know?” Yang snapped, stomping on another Deathstalker, “You’re the one who guided them to us!”

 

“Sorry, Aqua,” Ruby muttered as the blue faded from her hair… and the barrier collapsed. 

 

“Oh, shit,” Yang started, “Ruby, what's-! Woah!”

 

The last part was cut off as a black portal opened beneath Yang, sending her falling. 

 

“Through it!” Ruby barked, hair lightening to a uniform brown.

 

“You could do that?” Weiss started, “Why did you-”

 

“Now!” Ruby barked again, tone brokering no argument from anyone. 

 

“What about you?” Blake asked.

 

“I'll be the last one through,” Ruby said.

 

“Weiss, take Jaune,” Pyrrha ordered, shooting two more Grimm, pointing at Blake, “I'll be right after with her. Go!”

 

“Right!” Weiss nodded, grabbing Jaune by the arm and rushing into the portal.

 

“I, who stand in the full light of the heavens,” Ruby muttered, gripping her Keyblade tighter, glyphs forming around her and it as clouds rolled in the sky above.

 

“What?” Blake asked.

 

“Call upon thee who will openth the gates of hell,” Ruby continued, smashing her fist into her pauldron, her voice growing louder as rain began to lash the area, “Come forth, divine lightning!”

 

“No time!” Pyrrha ordered, grabbing Blake and dragging her into the inky void as Ruby's voice rang out, Grimm swarming towards her.

 

“This ends now!  **Indignation** !”

 

Blake’s vision was immediately plucked from her as they exited the portal, white light consuming it as an unholy roar ripped through the air, sending her off balance and nearly clutching her ears in pain.

 

As she finally regained use of her senses, it was to Professor Ozpin staring out over the Emerald Forest with a look of shock on his face, his mug slipped from his hand. 

 

As she focused out over it, Blake quickly joined him. It was immediately obvious where they had been, as the ground and trees around there and been reduced to a blasted heath, smoke rising from it visible even from their spot on the cliff.

 

“-Ruby!?” Yang was calling, “Where's Ruby?” 

 

Blake's eyes flickered over to the destroyed trees, causing Yang to blanch, “She's-”

 

“No,” Yang muttered, shaking her head, “ _ No _ .”

 

“No, what?” Everyone whirled as Ruby dragged herself through another portal, the cloak of her armor burning as the helm was shattered, revealing one bleary, silver eye.

 

“Ruby!” Yang breathed, taking a step forward only for Ozpin to plant a hand on her shoulder. 

 

“I would suggest not putting more stress on your sister at the moment, Miss Xiao Long,” Ozpin said, nodding towards Goodwitch, who was staring at Ruby through her Scroll.

 

The Aura scanner was giving a worrying beep.

 

“Normally, this would be the point I tell you you're all expelled,” Ozpin said, voice calm, “You have returned without a relic, and we had been intent to come and rescue you… however, there is an exception for everything, and I feel this is a good one as any.

 

“Woo?” Ruby slurred, fist in the air, before she tipped over, unconscious. 

 

\--- X **Yang** X---

 

“I can't believe you got screwed up like that,” Yang rebuked her sister as they stood on stage.

 

“It wasn't that bad,” Ruby defended.

 

“Wasn't that bad my ass,” Yang grumbled, “What would be ‘that bad? A freakin’ crippling?”

 

“Weiss Schnee, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren. From this day forward, you will work together as Team WRNJ (Orange), led by Weiss Schnee.”

 

Everyone gave a polite clap, or tried to, in Ruby's case. Whatever she had done out there, it had clearly put her through the ringer.

 

“Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long and Pyrrha Nikos. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RNBY, (Rainbow)” Ozpin said, “led by Miss Rose.”

 

“Why me?’ Ruby asked, voice exhausted. 

 

“I seem to remember you wishing to teach people, Miss Rose. Consider this the first step.”

 

\---X  **AN** X---

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let it never be said I'm contemptuous of having characters be hit with friendly fire.
> 
>  
> 
> So, this probably wasn't the Tale you were expecting, eh?
> 
>  
> 
> My original idea was to have Yang and either Nora or Pyrrha switch places, before I decided that Yang would probably be sticking to Ruby like glue after the last one, so then I considered just having Weiss and Yang switch places on the partners roster, then-
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry, I was just informed that I was to be put to death by firing squad for that pun. So while I go prepare a fake body for that
> 
>  
> 
> Thoughts and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?


	4. Chapter 4

Pyrrha woke to the sound of the door shutting, pushing herself up and looking around the dorm Team RNBY had been assigned. Blake's bed was a pile of blankets with a single exposed arm, Yang was sprawled out over her bed, covers all but thrown off.

 

And Ruby was missing from her bed, which had been carefully made. Glancing at the clock, Pyrrha raised an eyebrow.

 

Five in the morning? 

 

Strange.

 

Pyrrha slid out of bed, grabbing her uniform and slipped into the bathroom. Changing as quickly as she could, the champion put her laundry in the hamper, stepping out of the room, and began to track her team leader down.

 

It ultimately wasn't hard, as the noise of fighting drew her to the sparing room that had been pointed out to them the day before. Looking inside, Pyrrha edged around the outer ring until she got to a seat, settling into it and watching the younger girl.

 

Ruby was deflecting the strike from a training mech, an electrified cudgel in its hand. Closing one eye, Pyrrha focused on the massive sword in Ruby's hand.

 

Pyrrha felt her mouth fall open as she failed to get any grip on the sword with her Semblance. That was…  _ what _ !?

 

Pyrrha’s Semblance was powerful enough to affect metals that didn't have a strong magnetic field, like aluminum and copper. She had never found a metal that she couldn't effect…

 

Until now.

 

What was that sword made of?

 

Ruby didn't seem to even notice the failed attempt to effect her weapon, launching herself into the air to doge another strike from the mech and letting her sword vanish, a gun appearing in hand as she flew back. The gun gave a rather subdued noise as the shot exploded from the barrel, exploding with white light as they struck the mech. 

 

The young leader landed, gun vanishing and her sword reappearing as she kicked off the ground, moving too quick for even Pyrrha to follow. One moment, she was standing there, the next, she was behind the mech, which tipped back in two pieces. 

 

Ruby let the sword vanish again, turning towards the terminal and beginning to type on it, “Did I wake you up?”

 

Pyrrha felt her skin crawl at the question, realizing Ruby had noticed her. Swallowing, she spoke, “Maybe. What are you doing up so early?”

 

“Old habits,” Ruby said, turning towards the two new mechs and summoning the other weapon she had, the sword with an E on it, leaving the larger sword behind. Pyrrha moved closer, examining the sword. The blue eye gazed up at her, sending another shiver up her spine.

 

“Old habits?”

 

“Master Eraqus used to wake us up early,” Ruby explained, dodging the swing from one mech and deflecting an attack from the other, “it was that, or be allowed to sleep in but have to go to bed early.”

 

“That can be unhealthy,” Pyrrha pointed out, reaching out to touch the sword's hilt, only for black lightning to crackle around it.

 

“It never really bothered me,” Ruby said, “never bothered any of us.”

 

“There were more of you?”

 

“Yeah, Terra, Ven and Aqua,” Ruby said, cutting off the arm of one mech, before sighing, throwing back the sword and holding out her hand, catching the sword that, until a moment ago, had been sitting in front of Pyrrha.

 

“What happened to them?” Pyrrha asked.

 

“Ven's in a coma, Terra's missing and Aqua's looking for him,” Ruby said, sounding like she has said that too many times. The sword shifted suddenly, turning into a scythe as she launched forward. The mechs tipped back, heads falling off, “This is boring…”

 

“Do you want to spar with me?” Pyrrha offered.

 

“If you wanna,” Ruby said.

 

“I'll be right back,” Pyrrha said, stepping out of the room and going to retrieve Miló and Akoúo̱ from her locker.

 

\--- X  **Ruby** X---

 

Ruby stared into the eye of Crescent Rose as she waited for Pyrrha, clutching her Wayfinder in the other hand, “You know where they are, don't you, Master?”

 

The Gazing Eye stared back, unblinking as ever. 

 

“Will you tell me where they are?” Ruby’s voice pled.

 

_ Maybe one day, Luxu _ .

 

“Don't,” Ruby's voice wavered, “please… I need them.”

 

_ You just want your girlf- _

 

Ruby gave a shriek, whipping around and throwing Crescent Rose away from her.

 

_ Alright, fair enough, that was probably uncalled for, just trying to keep you from getting too far down in the dumps _ .

 

Ruby didn't respond, turning away from the keyblade and grabbing Master Defender.

 

_ Jeeze, Luxu, no need for the silent treatment _ .

 

Ruby didn't answer, continuing to ignore the Master.

 

... _ You know my hands are tied, right? I'd tell you if I could, but I can't _ .

 

“We both know that you could tell me if you wanted to.”

 

_ People with my eye don't fall under the same rules as an outsider, Lux. Luxu had to go without the Book of Prophecies because of that. Just… do me a favor, alright _ ?

 

“What?”

 

_ If, in six months, you haven't heard from Aqua, take me to task over it. Bug me about it until I tell you something, understand _ ?

 

“So in six months, I'm gonna bug you about it.”

 

_ Atta girl. Reading between the lines is a nice skill to have Ruby _ .

 

Ruby blinked, jaw dropping, “You just-”

 

_ No idea what you're talking about, Luxu. _

 

Ruby sighed, rubbing her head.

 

_ By the way, I never did tell you your task, did I? _

 

“What-?”

 

_ I give each Foreteller a task, a job to carry out _ .

 

Alright,” Ruby said.

 

_ Yours is to cultivate the Light _ .

 

“What's that mean?” Ruby asked.

 

_ Pretty much exactly what you were gonna do anyways. Train people to use Keyblades _ .

 

“Then it isn't much of a task, huh?” Ruby muttered.

 

_ Ain't much more to do, kiddo _ .

 

“Yeah,” Ruby muttered, locking her eyes onto Pyrrha as she entered the room.

 

_ She's pretty, eh? _

 

“I guess.”

 

_ Yeah, yeah, I know, she ain't your type. I was hoping you’d at least get flustered… _

 

“As if,” Ruby scoffed, holding out Master Defender, “Ready?”

 

“Ready,” Pyrrha said, tapping her sword to Ruby's, before taking a step back, raising her shield.

 

_ Course, I only know a few people who ever were your type. _

 

Ruby breathed in, watching the other girl and tuning out the Master. He was just trying to tease her, as always. 

 

Launching to the left, Ruby thrust Master Defender forward, aiming for the spot between Pyrrha's second and third ribs, just below the sternum. If it hit, and passed through her Aura, it would pierce her heart, an immediately lethal blow.

 

Pyrrha took a moment to react, eyes growing wide as she threw herself back, bringing her shield up to deflect the strike, “Two!?”

 

“What?” Ruby asked, stopping and standing up.

 

“Nothing,” Pyrrha said, shaking her head and sending her hair trailing out like a bloody banner, “Out of curiosity, where did you get that sword? It's rather… unique.”

 

“It was my Master's,” Ruby said, looking down at Master Defender.

 

“Eraqus, right?” Pyrrha asked, “Did he… pass away?”

 

“Yeah,” Ruby said. That wasn't quite right. Master Eraqus hadn't died in bed, he had been  _ murdered _ .

 

“I'm sorry,” Pyrrha said, “that must have been difficult for you.”

 

“I guess,” Ruby said, wondering how they got from sparring to talking about this.

 

She didn't want to be talking about this. It was like… like…

 

Swimming at the beach with an open wound, like that time her and Aqua went with her dad.

 

Breathing in, Ruby lunged forward, closing the space between her and Pyrrha. Pyrrha raised her shield, deflecting the strike from Ruby and attempting to stab Ruby with her sword.

 

Ruby dodged, feeling the blade part the air next to her as she did. Swinging Master Defender up, Ruby watched the Keyblade sail through the air where Pyrrha had been.

 

Time slowed as Pyrrha shifted her sword into a rifle, aiming at Ruby. Ruby watched the redhead's finger coil around the trigger, “Reflect!”

 

A glass-like half shell formed around her, causing the shots to bounce off it. Letting it crumble, Ruby swung her right hand, white chains flying from it and wrapping around Pyrrha, dragging her into melee range.

 

Ruby swung Master Defender forward, trying to strike Pyrrha as she threw up her shield, creating a shockwave that blasted back the remaining parts of the mechs from earlier. Ruby let the chains fade, grabbing the shield with her off hand, she threw herself over Pyrrha, landing and swinging Master Defender for her neck.

 

“Oi!” Ruby blinked, stopping the attack to look over to where Yang was leaning against the doorway in her uniform, Blake standing behind her and reading a book, “As fun as it is watching my sister kick Pyrrha Nikos's butt, we should probably get to the cafeteria so we can eat before classes start.”

 

“Right,” Ruby nodded, letting Master Defender and Crescent Rose vanish. How long had they been there?

 

_ Few minutes _ , the Master said before Crescent Rose disappeared in smoke and fire, taking him with it.

 

“That was an interesting battle, Ruby,” Pyrrha said, “I must say, your ability to summon things with your Semblance is quite powerful. I didn't expect those chains.”

 

Sure, that worked.

 

“Thanks,” Ruby said, giving a smile, “You did pretty well too.”

 

\--- X  **Weiss** X---

 

Weiss growled as she lead team WRNJ into their first class, Grimm Studies. Behind her, her partner was shoving toast into his mouth. 

 

Throwing a dirty look at the ‘N’ of their team, Weiss found their seats and settled in it. That alarm clock was worth more than her parents probably made in a day, and because she destroyed it, they were  _ late _ !

 

“Wow,” Weiss looked up at the team below them, Team RNBY. Their leader was doodling in a book, apparently unaware that they were there, while the blonde looked up at them, “You guys got here by the skin of your teeth, didn't ya?”

 

“And you were here on time?” Weiss snarked. 

 

“Yeah,” she said, “Half our team was up early trying to beat the stuffing outta each other.”

 

“Sparring,” Pyrrha supplied, filling in the blanks left by her partner. 

 

That wasn't fair, it wasn't right.  _ Weiss _ was supposed to be Pyrrha’s partner. She was supposed to lead the most competent team, not some, some… some ragtag group of buffoons!

 

And Pyrrha deserved better than the partner she got! The team she got!

 

The door slammed open, letting a rotund man in a burgundy suit stride into the room, speaking around the handlebar mustache on his face, “Ah, good, you're all here on time!”

 

“Class started five minutes ago, sir,” Pyrrha said.

 

“Did it really?” the man turned, looking at the clock, or at least she thought he did, his eyes were heavily lidded, “So it did! Well, than I'm sorry for being late. There was this  _ delicious _ turnover in the teacher’s room, and I couldn't help myself… anyways, I am Professor Port, and I will be teaching you about these-”

 

He made a sweeping gesture towards the board, where there was diagrams of various Grimm.

 

“-Grimm! Some call them monsters or demons but I call them prey-”

 

The professor gave a loud laugh, causing Ruby to glance up for the first time, before returning to her drawing as silence stretched, nobody laughing. Port seemed to deflate slightly at that, coughing into his hand.

 

“As I was saying, I will train you to protect the people of the Kingdoms from these beasts. They want nothing more than to rip humanity limb from limb, you are here because you wish to keep that from happening, correct?”

 

There were a few half hearted cheers.

 

“Well then,” Port said, stopping in front of Ruby, who was still drawing, “Normally, I'd begin with a story, but I must ask. Ms. Rose, is it true you want to be a teacher?”

 

“Want is a bit of a bit of a strong word,” Ruby muttered, before speaking up, “I am one, sir.”

 

“Then don't you think you should be paying attention to what I'm saying?” Port asked, apparently ignoring the second half.

 

“I'm sorry, sir,” Ruby apologized, “but I don't feel like you could train me any better than my old teacher could.”

 

Silence stretched as Port stared down at Ruby, mustache quivering… before he threw back his head, giving a loud belly laugh, “Ah, yes. Ozpin did mention something about you doing an apprenticeship instead of a traditional schooling up to this point. None of us are trying to take his place, Ms. Rose, but I’m sure we can still teach you some things your teacher couldn't. For example, during that battle with the Deathstalkers, you used a rather… interesting move-”

 

Weiss snorted. That was one way to put it. How much Dust had that move taken?

 

“-however,” Port continued, “That same move shattered your Aura. Judging by your evacuation of the area before using it, you knew that was a possibility. While a noble gesture, that will not always be a possible tactic. Instead-”

 

He wheeled around, striding to the holographic board and grabbing one of the faux-chalk styluses, pulling up a diagram of a Deathstalker and circling the stinger.

 

“Your team to be could have aimed for here. Deathstalker tails are incredibly weak by Grimm standards, while the stinger itself is strong enough to punch through carapace, bone and even Atlesian Dust Forged Alloys. Had you broken it off, it likely would have dropped right through the Grimm, killing it.”

 

“Oh,” Ruby said, blinking, “Ok…”

 

“Other major Grimm in the area included a Giant Nevermore and two Beowolf Alphas,” Port continued, “While that technique certainly would have dealt with the Beowolf, a Nevermore is capable of achieving speeds of nearly a hundred miles per hour, allowing it to easily escape your attack. Then, you would have been stuck in the Emerald Forest with no support or Aura. If you were lucky, we might arrive in time to help you, but death would be a probability.”

 

“I'm not useless without Aura,” Ruby muttered, crossing her arms. That arrogant little brat…

 

“Hmmm…” Port seemed to catch Ruby's words, “Very well then. Come down here with you weapon, Miss Rose.”

 

“Ok,” Ruby slid over the desk, her sword appearing in her left hand as she used her other to propel her, revealing she had replaced the skirt of her uniform with a pair of black slacks.

 

“Now,” Port said, hitting a button on the desk, causing a case to rise up, “Since you're so confident in your skills, Miss Rose, I want you to defeat this Boarbatusk without use of your Semblance.”

 

“Uh…” Jaune started, only to snap his mouth shut as Weiss shushed him. She could show this to Ozpin, prove that Ruby wasn't-

 

“C'mon, sis!” Yang called, “Kick their ass!”

 

\---  X  **Port** X---

 

Peter sat down at the desk, watching Ruby carefully. The girl was passing her massive sword from one hand to the other, like it was made of paper, rather than metal.

 

He could understand why Ozpin was baffled by her. Most students weren't apparently completely unfazed upon suddenly being called to fight a Grimm.

 

Overconfidence? Or practice?

 

Part of the reason apprenticeships were viewed with suspicion was that you couldn't be sure of  _ what  _ that entailed. For all anyone knew at this point, the young girl could be so unfazed because she  _ had _ fought a Boarbatusk before, if her mentor had been particularly draconian. 

 

Peter’s eyes flickered to the camera recording the room, aware that Ozpin was undoubtedly watching, as he had been the one to take the professor aside and ask him to put Ruby against a Grimm.

 

Port reached out, hitting the button on the desk. The metal grate sprang up, letting the Grimm lumber out, red eyes locked on Ruby, who had stopped moving her sword around, holding it in front of her with both hands, blade pointing up.

 

The Boarbatusk launched itself forward in a spinning ball, sailing across space between it and the young girl in a blur of motion. 

 

Ruby moved nearly as quickly, spinning the sword so the entire flat of the massive blade was between her and the Grimm.

 

Bad move, Peter observed. A Boarbatusk on the charge was just as likely to smash the blade right into her, disarming her and sending her flying back. Potentially shattering the blade, if it was of particularly shoddy make.

 

He was partially right. Ruby did indeed go flying back, her vice grip on the sword not breaking as she landed on one hand, springboarding off it to land on the ground. Feet locked together in a V, sword to one side and her off hand (which Peter noticed was her left hand at the moment. Ambidextrous? If so, natural, or part of the training?) held in front of her, palm facing the ground.

 

The Boarbatusk launched forward again, spinning towards Ruby. What she did, was something Peter had never seen before. 

 

She impaled her sword into the floor at an angle, letting the Boarbatusk launch off it as a ramp, before ripping it from its place. The Grimm squealed as it was suddenly propelled into the air, the momentum sending it halfway to the roof before it flew down, smashing into the ground with a loud crash.

 

Ruby waited for the Grimm to rise, flicking her arm. The hilt of her sword shifted in the guard until it was parallel with the blade. Peter gave a slight ‘ah’ as the shaft extended, turning the greatsword into a scythe.

 

Of course, she was one of Tai's daughters. It looked like she had chosen to take after her ‘Uncle’ in combat more than her father or dear Summer.

 

There was a spattering of gasps and laughter in the class, even as Yang gave a loud whistle. Ruby's partner, who had been looking through the journal Ruby had been drawing in, glanced up, eyes growing wide and eyebrows launch into her hair as her bow almost went flat.

 

Ah, the old ‘hide your trait’ trick. It either worked spectacularly, or failed in even greater fashion. Generally the latter, as hiding such a big thing for four years was nearly impossible, and the longer they managed to do so, the larger the inevitable blow out.

 

Looking back at the girl, Peter leaned back, tenting his fingers as Ruby continued to stare down the Grimm in silence. Slowly, her left hand drifted up, first brushing at her shoulder and then at the back of her blaiser.

 

The Boarbatusk finally struggled to its feet, squealing and shaking its head as it drove its hooves into the ground. Ruby shifted, lowering herself and waiting.

 

She launched herself forward to meet the Grimm for the first time in a move that would be too quick for a student to follow.

 

But to Peter, it was clear as day. For the first time in the battle, the edge of Ruby's weapon met the Grimm, and sank through the bone and flesh like butter. Ruby stopped on the other side of the Grimm as its own momentum sent the two pieces flying, shifting her scythe back into a sword. 

 

“Hmmm…” Peter said, stroking his mustache, “Very interesting, Miss Rose. You may return to your seat.”

 

Ruby nodded, doing just that.

 

\---

 

Blake glanced down at the book again as they sat in the cafeteria for lunch, examining the drawing Ruby was adding to it, using a set of colored pencils to color in the people there. While the picture wasn't the best, Blake would easily be capable of doing better, it was still clear what it was of.

 

It was Ruby, and three others, seated on the edge of a cliff, eating ice cream. The two closest to Ruby were a blue haired young woman, who, if the pricks of blue in her eyes were any indication, was also blue eyed… and wearing primarily blue, and a boy with sandy spiked hair wearing a jacket divided into white and black.

 

Next to the boy, one elbow braced on his shoulder, was a brown haired man who was, if the picture could be believed, stood a head taller than the blue haired girl.

 

“Who are those?” Blake asked.

 

“Huh?” Ruby looked up, before looking down at the picture before spinning the book around to present it to Blake, “Oh! These are Terra,” she pointed to the man, “Ven,” the boy, “and Aqua. Here.”

 

Ruby reached into her pocket, pulling out her Scroll and opening it up. She dropped her book into her bag as she expanded the Scroll to the size of a slate, spinning it so Blake could see the picture. 

 

It was of the same trio, revealing parts that Ruby had failed to capture. She hadn't colored in Terra and Ven's eyes, yet, something glaring at they were the same shade of blue as Aqua's. She had failed to replicate the armor all four wore on their legs and arm.

 

Ruby flicked the picture, replacing it with a video of Terra doing one handed push ups as Ven sat cross legged on his back, sweat pouring down his face as laughter came from off screen,  “Ven, get off him.”

 

“No,” Terra grunted, continuing to do his push ups, “It's fine. I'm not used to extra weight.”

 

“Are you sayin’ I'm fat?” Ven asked.

 

“That's not what he mean, Ven,” Ruby said from behind the camera.

 

“Then how is he not used to ‘extra weight!?” Ven complained.

 

Ruby flicked the video away, replacing it with a shot of Aqua leaning against an island of a kitchen, chatting with Terra and an older man with several scars across his face and black hair laced with considerable grey. Blake barely had time for it to sink in before Ruby hastily flicked past it, and the next one, and the one after that.

 

Eyes jumping up, she took in the stricken look on Ruby's face. Blake silently let Ruby continue the show, looking back down at a picture of Ruby and Aqua standing on a beach in swimsuits, crouching down and laughing at something.

 

“Hey!” Yang sat across them, “You kept that pic!”

 

“Why wouldn't I?”

 

“Eh, you never know,” Yang shrugged.

 

“...” Ruby went silent as she flicked to the next picture, staring at it, “I'll see you guys at class.”

 

“Something wrong?” Pyrrha asked.

 

“No, Ruby shook her head, a black portal opening behind her, “I just have something I need to do.”

 

\---

 

Ruby walked through the labyrinth of halls, Master Defender held in front of her like a dowsing rod. The Keyblade would jerk to one side at each intersection, guiding her through the castle.

 

Finally, Ruby arrived at the room she was looking for, glancing around, “No extra chairs? I guess I'll have to-”

 

Before Ruby could finish, a new chair rumbled into existence from the floor. Leaving her to blink.

 

So this is what the wielder of Master Defender could do? Modify the Land on the fly?

 

Ruby sat down, giving a sad smile, “Hey, Ven.”

 

\--- X  **AN** X---

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does Weiss come across as too bitchy here? I dunno, this is start of series Weiss, but it still worries me. Other than that, it's still fun writing the MoM, him teasing Ruby about Aqua is really fun (and continues the unintended pattern of Ruby’s relationship status in my fics.
> 
>  
> 
> Thoughts? Good? Bad? Meh?
> 
> EDIT: While I have finished the KH III 100%, Please remember that it is only a week old and not everyone has, and refrain from openly discussing spoilers in reviews.


	5. Chapter 5

“-I’m trying to get used to them,” Ruby said to her comatose friend, nibbling on a cookie. They weren't as great as the ones Aqua made.

 

Light, it wasn't even a week, and she was already missing Aqua with all her heart. She was gonna have to go six months without seeing her?

 

Ruby didn't normally swear, but that alone made her  _ really, really _ want to. While she loved all three of her friends, she had always been closest to Aqua.

 

“I don't want to replace you guys,” Ruby told Ven, “You're my team, they're just… filling in.”

 

Ven didn't respond, merely lying in his bed, which Ruby had summoned. She wasn't sure if Ven could feel anything, but she wanted him to be comfortable if he could.

 

Ruby had spent the better part of an hour getting used to her rule of the Land, shifting the room for the clinical, heartless white into something that resembled their home.

 

Ruby's eyes drifted to the window, feeling a spike of anger at the fog. The Land was never like that! Sure, it rained, it snowed (rarely) but it was never,  _ ever _ fog-

 

Ruby blanched as the fog began to roll away, “No! No! Nononono! Stay,  _ STAY _ !”

 

Ruby wasn't sure if the fog was part of whatever Aqua had done to keep Ven and this place safe, but she wasn't going to risk it.

 

The fog stopped unnaturally, before rolling back in, thicker than before. Ruby fell into her chair with a relieved sigh.

 

Wait…

 

She had spent the better part of an hour here...

 

There had already been less than an hour to go before the next class…

 

_ Crud _ .

 

“I'll see you later!” Ruby called to Ven, jumping up and activating her Semblance as she opened a Dark Corridor in front of her…

 

And planted her hands on the wall to stop herself from crashing into it as the Corridor failed to open.

 

Double crud.

 

Ruby threw open the door to the room, slamming it shut behind her and getting ready to dash through the halls as she tried one last time to open a Corridor. 

 

This time, thankfully, it opened, letting Ruby bolt through it in a blur of speed.

 

Why hadn't it worked the last two times?

 

Ruby burst from the shadows if a flurry of petals, aware of the soft caress trying to convince her to stay, the auditory hallucination of Aqua calling her name.

 

Note to self, keep coat on hand.

 

“Excuse me!” Ruby stopped in front of a girl with bunny ears, who jerked back in surprise at the sudden appearance of Ruby.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Can you point me to Professor Goodwitch's class?”

 

“Oh,” she nodded, “Yes, it's the last hall on the left-”

 

“Thank you!” Ruby blurted, hugging her briefly before launching down the hall in question. Ruby shoved open the door, panting in exhaustion, “I'm sorry I'm late!”

 

“And why were you late?” Goodwitch asked from where she was standing at her desk, looking incredibly irritated about… something. 

 

“I was… busy,” Ruby said. 

 

“Very elaborating,” Goodwitch deadpanned, “busy with what?”

 

“I was visiting Ven,” Ruby mumbled. 

 

“I'm sorry?”

 

“I was visiting Ven,” Ruby repeated, louder.

 

Well, at least being the youngest student ever expelled from Beacon would give her the opportunity to train Riku more. She wondered how him and Chithiry were doing…

 

Instead of being told to pack her bags, however, Goodwitch's face merely softened slightly. Not enough for a normal person to notice, but compared to Master Eraqus…

 

“Well, since you were kind enough to volunteer,” Goodwitch said, trying to remain gruff, “You'll be our first demonstrator…”

 

“In what?” Ruby asked.

 

“Sparring,” Goodwitch said, “against-”

 

“I'll fight her,” a voice said.

 

\---X  **Glynda** X---

 

Glynda’s eyes trailed to the red headed boy standing up, before glancing at her Scroll to get his name, “Very well, Mr. Winchester. Go get your weapon.”

 

Glynda continued to focus on the empty Aura bar for Jaune Arc as she pressed Cardin and Ruby's bars. The screen above her turned on, showing their faces and Auras.

 

Glynda didn't particularly care about Ruby being late today, it was the first day of classes, after all  _ and _ more importantly, she had bigger things to deal with. Like figuring out why one of her students didn't have his Aura unlocked.

 

Glynda sent an image of the screen to Ozpin, alongside a message,  _ Do you know anything about this? _

 

It took longer than normal for Ozpin to respond, leaving Glynda to watch as Ruby span her sword around, easily maneuvering the massive sword. Occasionally, she would hold it like Qrow did Harbinger, others, perpendicular to her head, the serrations pointed towards the ground, and others still diagonal to her body.

 

_ I suspected something _ , Ozpin sent back,  _ You don't normally hear a student ask for a parachute during launch. _

 

_ What were you planning to do about it? _

 

_ If there wasn't such damning evidence towards something being wrong? I would have waited a few weeks. While you don't normally see it, that doesn't mean it's impossible. Qrow asked for one back in the day. Now, I'll begin looking into how this happened _ .

 

_ Qrow was raised by bandits. How would he even know what a parachute was? _

 

“Ready to lose?” Cardin taunted.

 

Ruby didn't respond as the lights dimmed, just raising her sword. Glynda looked up, “Begin.”

 

Cardin rushed forward, swinging his mace down in an unrefined smash. At the last second, Ruby weaved to the side, red petals flying in her wake.

 

Cardin gave a madcap grin, beginning to press the button on the hilt of his mace. Before he could, however, Ruby’s knee jerked up faster than Glynda could blink, crashing into Cardin's chin. 

 

The air near Ruby ignited in an explosion of fire as Cardin jerked backward, pressing the button anyways. Ruby swung her sword down, cleaving into the air and leaving a black rift for a second, yanking in the fire.

 

And there was another million lien question. Where, exactly, did Miss Rose get all these powers?

 

Since four days ago, when Glynda had met the girl for the first time, Ruby Rose had shown off the ability to teleport, defy gravity, move at high speeds, summon weapons and armor, create portals, barriers and call down lightning strikes.

 

Perhaps more disturbing than the abilities that could be attributed to a Maiden, therefore opening up the possibility that Qrow's beloved niece was Amber's assailant… was how many  _ couldn't _ . If it was only one, they might be able to blame it on her Semblance. 

 

Did Qrow know? If so, why hadn't he told them?

 

Glynda pulled up the recording of Ruby staring down the Deathstalker, watching for the tell-tale sign of her eyes igniting, letting out a frustrating snarl as the armor blocked it.

 

No, she was being ridiculous. Nobody would be so bold and foolish as to steal the powers of a Maiden and then join a school…

 

Glynda looked up at the gasps, watching Ruby holding Cardin's attack back with her weapon, the hilt of which had extended into a haft so she could slot the blade in between two of the flares of his mace, cracking the Dust crystal. 

 

Glynda supposed it made sense. If the weapon could become a scythe, there was nothing keeping it from being used as a glave beyond the practicality of weight.

 

“You're... going... down…” Cardin growled, hitting the button again.

 

“Don-!” before Glynda could finish, the crystal exploded, blasting Cardin and Ruby away from each other with the sound of rending steel.

 

That damn fool. Was he really so petty as to endanger them both over a spar?

 

Glynda glanced up at the Aura meters, noticing that Ruby's was noticeably lower, but jumping down into the arena nonetheless, throwing up a barrier as both Huntsmen trainees rose, Ruby raising her sword as Cardin stared down at the cracked mace, “Miss Rose is the winner!”

 

“What?” Cardin said, “but my Aura-”

 

“-is only part of the battle,” Glynda snapped, marching towards him, “Your weapon is too damaged to continue the battle. Therefore, in an actual fight-”

 

Glynda flicked her crop, blasting him back, “-You would be defenseless. Miss Rose's Aura is lower, but her weapon is still in a fighting condition. Therefore in short order, your Aura would be lowered, and you would lose,” Glynda whipped around, turning towards Ruby, “And as for you, you should have been more careful around a Dust crystal like that. Back to your seats, both of you. Next, Miss Schnee, Miss Belladonna.”

 

\--- X  **Blake** X---

 

Blake couldn't help the chuckle as she stood up. Abandon the Fang, go to Beacon, and fight Weiss Schnee.

 

Wasn't that ironic?

 

Halfway down the stairs, Blake stopped briefly, planting an awkward hand on her partner’s shoulder, frowning as she felt something weird below the fabric, “Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah,” Ruby said.

 

“How's Ven?” Blake asked.

 

“Doing ok.”

 

“That's… good…” 

 

It dawned on Blake just then how little she had spoken to people after joining the Fang. She had always been an introvert, and becoming a revolutionary (a terrorist, part of her whispered), had massively destroyed the amount of people she could comfortably talk to, it began and ended at Adam and Ilia.

 

And now she was on a team with a celebrity, an incredibly extroverted girl… and Ruby.

 

She was going to have to learn to associate with these people, wasn't she?

 

“Do you, uh, want to hang out after classes?” Blake asked.

 

“Sure,” Ruby said, shrugging, “I gotta go visit someone, if you want to come along.”

 

Oh boy…

 

“Sure?” Blake said, squirming slightly. What was she getting herself in-?

 

“Miss Belladonna,” Goodwitch said, voice exasperated, “We don't have all day.”

 

“Right.”

 

“Hey,” Ruby held out her fist, lightly bumping the side of it into Blake's own, “I got things warmed up, keep RNBY's winning streak going.”

 

“One win isn't a streak,” Blake pointed out, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

 

“Yeah, but if you believe Terra, two is,” Ruby smiled, “but that might just be because he never got better than that in a row.”

 

\--- X  **Weiss** X---

 

Weiss stood in the arena, hand clutching Myrtenaster until the blood drained from it as she resisted the urge to pace, or worse, bite her nails. Her eyes flickered up towards Jaune.

 

How was there someone here who didn't have their Aura unlocked? How!? Even Ruby had that!

 

What was she supposed to do? This wasn't part of the plan!

 

Weiss began to tap her foot, fighting the urge to pace with every iota of will she had. She needed to report this! It couldn't be right!

 

But what would happen? Would the team be disbanded? Would she be sent back to Atlas after finally being allowed to leave?

 

No, she couldn't rush ahead on this. She needed to do research, go to the library, call Winter. Quickly, because if Weiss knew, Goodwitch knew!

 

Winter would know what to do, she always knew what to do!

 

Weiss glanced up at the clock, biting her cheek. She just needed to make it through this class and the next one!

 

Where the hell was-?

 

“About time you came out, Miss Belladonna,” Professor Goodwitch said. Weiss blinked at the girl skulking in the shadows of the arena. How long had she been there? “I’d prefer if you didn't repeat your partner's example with Dust.”

 

Blake nodded, drawing her cleaver-like blade off her back. Tugging it, she drew a katana from the sheath.

 

Weiss breathed in, holding up Myrtenaster and pushing aside her doubts. Alright, think.

 

She was at a slight disadvantage, because the chances of Blake not knowing the Schnee Semblance was… low, while Weiss didn't know Blake's Semblance. However, Weiss was fairly certain her Semblance was more powerful and versatile than Blake's.

 

“You may begin,” Professor Goodwitch said as the lights dimmed. Weiss breathed in as Blake disappeared into the shadows.

 

Stealth. She hated stealth.

 

Stealth was used to poison the glass of wine her godmother had drunk from, to slit the throat of her childhood nanny, to kidnap the last CFO of the SDC and see him lynched, the White Fang emblem branded over his eye.

 

Stealth was used by cowards and monsters, like the White Fang. It had no place with Huntsmen.

 

Weiss strained her ears, waiting for Blake. At the light tapping of shoes on the floor, she span, aiming Myrtenaster for Blake. Half a second before impact, Blake blurred to the side, a copy of her running itself onto Myrtenaster as Blake's weapons aimed for Weiss. 

 

Weiss threw up a glyph, deflecting the attack as she yanked Myrtenaster from the clone, jumping back and holding the button to rotate the chambers. Upon it stopping on Fire, Weiss thrust it forward into another glyph.

 

Blake lept back from the explosion of fire, a smirk just barely visible before the fire flickered out, vanishing into the shadows.

 

Weiss switched her Dust, stabbing Myrtenaster into the glyph on the ground. A wall of ice formed around her, with only a small hole right in front of her. Blake wanted to sneak? To ba-

 

Weiss  dodged the strike from above and behind her at the last second, watching Blake land with a surprising amount of grace. What? How-?

 

Walls, Blake had climbed  _ the walls _ Weiss had made to keep her out. And now she was trapped in here with the black haired girl.

 

And Blake was trapped in here with  _ Weiss _ .

 

Blake lifted her gun, firing it at Weiss, who deflected it with a glyph. Shifting the Dust again, Weiss launched a blast of lightning at Blake, striking the black haired girl…

 

Or, she would have, if Blake hadn't replaced herself with a clone at the last second, rushing for the edge of the ice.

 

No. She. Didn't!

 

Weiss pressed the button on Myrtenaster down, sending the chambers spinning as six glyphs appeared around her. Aiming for the spot above Blake, Weiss launched the fire glyph at it. The ice melted, water pouring down onto Blake.

 

Lightning went off next, aiming right for Blake. Blake dodged around the blast, but didn't manage to block the blast of Ice that froze her solid.

 

Next-

 

Before anything else happened, a loud roar came from behind them, repeating twenty times, followed by the sound of shattering ice.

 

Weiss froze as Ruby suddenly appeared in front of Blake, face stormy as another barrier appeared around them, absorbing the blast of gravity Dust. The lights flicked back on, letting Goodwitch jump down into the arena and walk through the shattered hole in the ice.

 

Had she done something wrong? Was there some rule she didn't know abo-?

 

“Miss Rose,” Goodwitch said, “would you care to explain why you felt the need to interrupt a match?”

 

“I- Ruby's face paled, eyes wide, before she rushed out of the room, squeaking, “Sorry!”

 

Goodwitch sighed, shattering the ice around Blake, “That will be enough for now. I need to go have a talk with-”

 

“I'm coming too,” Blake said.

 

“Miss Belladonna-”

 

“Professor,” Blake said, voice almost too low for Weiss to hear, certainly too low for anyone else to, “She was crying.”

 

“...Very well,” Goodwitch said, striding out of the room with Blake on her tail. When Weiss looked over, it was to four empty chairs.

 

\--- X  **Ruby** X---

 

Ruby hadn't made it more than a few feet outside the classroom before her sister caught up to her, gently wrapping her arms around Ruby.

 

“How-?” Ruby asked, voice quivering.

 

“I'm your sister, Rubes,” Yang said, “it didn't take a genius to tell you weren't thinking when you ran in there. Pyr, I got her!”

 

“Thank goodness,” Pyrrha said, jogging from the other end of the hall, “I wasn't sure you would, when she rushed out of there.”

 

“Yeah, but you're not me,” Yang said with a wide grin.

 

“That makes no sense,” Pyrrha said.

 

“Whatever,” Yang shrugged, “Anyways, what was that, Rubes? You took your Keyblade to that wall like it owed you Lien!”

 

“That's what I would like to know as well,” Ruby froze in Yang's arms as Goodwitch stepped out of the class with Blake, “Follow me, you four.”

 

“Professor,” Ruby started, “I'm-”

 

“Follow. Me.”

 

Team RNBY followed Goodwitch down that hall, leaving Ruby to shrink back as Blake caught up with her, “Hey.”

 

“Hi?” Ruby said, looking at the ground, “I'm sorry about ruining your match- I just- just…”

 

Just had been reminded of Ven. Of watching Xehanort dangle one of her best friends over a cliff, coating him with dark fire, before freezing and dropping him. Of watching Ven's armor shattering against the rocks as Aqua and her rushed to him. Of Wayward Wind impaling itself next to two keyblades of tarnishing gold with teeth in the shape of a star and another pink with teeth in the shape of a flower. 

 

Of clashing with a one eyed man…

 

_ Ruby stood up, summoning Crescent Rose as she walked towards the man, who was staring at her with one wide eye. _

 

_ Then his face split into a nasty grin, “So that's how it is, eh? Hey, Poppet, what's your name?” _

 

_ “Ruby-” Aqua started  _

 

_ “Take care of Ven!” Ruby said, “I'll deal with him!” _

 

_ “So Ruby's your name, eh?” the man said, “I'm Braig. I think we'll be good friends.” _

 

_ “As if,” Ruby said. _

 

_ “Hey! That's  _ **_my_ ** _ catchphrase,” Braig said, laughing. Ruby growled, launching forward and swinging Crescent Rose at him. Braid twisted to the side at the last moment, dodging the strike and pressing one of his crossbows against Ruby's armor, “Woah! You sly fox!” _

 

_ Ruby felt the armor around her gut buckle slightly as Braig pulled the trigger, sending her flying. Glancing down, Ruby took in the six bolts of purple energy quivering in her armor before they disappeared. Throwing out her hand, Ruby summoned Crescent Rose in rifle form.  _

 

_ Braig grinned wildly as she aimed at him, twirling his crossbows and doing the same, “Oh? You want a gunslinger duel!? I knew I liked you, Poppet _ !” 

 

“-Rose!” Ruby snapped back to attention, aware of her hands in a vice grip around a mug.

 

“Miss Rose,” Goodwitch said, leaning across the table from her, a look of concern fully visible on her face, “Are you alright?”

 

“Yeah,” Ruby said, gulping down the scorching hot chocolate and wincing. Ow…

 

“You know I can tell you're lying, right?” Goodwitch asked.

 

“Then why'd you ask?” Ruby muttered under her breath.

 

“Because it's the polite thing to do?” Pyrrha offered for the Professor. 

 

“And became I wanted to give you the option to explain on your own,” Goodwitch said, “Please, Miss Rose. What you did wasn't normal.”

 

“Sorry,” Ruby muttered again.

 

“Ruby,” Goodwitch said, “I'm not angry, but I am worried. You didn't seem to be capable of realizing that I would have intervened if I believed Miss Belladonna was in life threatening danger.”

 

“It's nothing,” Ruby insisted, to snorts of everyone but Pyrrha. 

 

“That wasn't nothing,” Blake said.

 

“Ruby,” Goodwitch said, “You can trust them, they're your team, and you can trust me. I may appear distant, but I am a teacher.”

 

“...Ven got frozen like that, a few days ago,” Ruby said, “It was worse than with Blake, but I just…”

 

“Felt like you were back there?” Goodwitch finished.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“When you say worse,” Pyrrha started, only for Yang to elbow her in the ribs.

 

“I'm pretty sure they were trying to kill him,” even if that raised questions on why they would do it, since they needed him, “Xehanort threw him off a cliff after-”

 

“Sorry,  _ Xehanort _ !?” Yang laughed only to wince as Pyrrha and Blake elbowed her in turn, “uh, right. Ignore me.”

 

“And Ven survived this?” Goodwitch asked.

 

“Yeah,” Ruby said, voice quivering. 

 

“I see,” Goodwitch nodded, “You four should head to your next class.”

 

“What?” Ruby said, head jerking up.

 

“You've already been late for one class today, Miss Rose,” Goodwitch said, “I won't have you be late for another because of me.”

 

“But I-”

 

“Reacted on instinct shortly after a traumatic event,” Goodwitch said, “You having just gotten back from visiting Ven, who I take is recoveri-”

 

“He's in a coma,” Pyrrha said quickly.

 

“Ah. Yes, that would certainly do it,” Goodwitch said with a nod, “Nobody was injured in your actions today, Miss Rose. Just try to keep it from happening again.”

 

Ruby nodded, “C'mon, guys.”

 

\---

 

Blake felt her bead spin as they stepped out of the history class, reaching up to rub her brow, “That was… something…”

 

“I think I missed half of what he said,” Pyrrha agreed. 

 

“It wasn't that bad,” Ruby argued.

 

“Rubes,” Yang said, “You can move at super speeds, nothing is ‘that bad’ for you.”

 

Ruby pouted, puffing out her cheeks, “Whatever. C'mon, I need to grab some stuff from the room.”

 

Team RNBY made their way to their room, Ruby tapping her Scroll against the lock so it sprang open. Walking in, Ruby grabbed her black jacket, throwing it at Blake, “Put that on whole you're changing.”

 

“...Why?” Blake asked, holding it out.

 

“The Dark Corridors can cause problems unless you have that or my armor on,” Ruby said, grabbing a black shirt and pants, strapping the armor to her arm in a blur of speed.

 

“...Dark Corridor?” 

 

“The portals,” Ruby said.

 

“Didn't you have us all go through one during initiation?” Pyrrha asked.

 

“It was that or get blasted,” Ruby said, finishing and slamming her hand onto the pauldron. When the flash of light vanished, Ruby was standing in her undamaged armor.

 

What. The. Hell.

 

“How did you fix your armor?” Blake asked.

 

“It always does that,” Ruby said, voice distorted by the metal helm, “put on the coat.”

 

Blake rolled her eyes, changing into her day wear, pulling on the jacket and zipping it up. Always does that. What was that supposed to mean?

 

“C'mon,” Ruby said, a portal opening in front of her.

 

“See you in a bit, I guess,” Blake said to Pyrrha and Yang, following Ruby through the tunnel.

 

The minute they exited it, Blake desperately wanted to take the heavy black coat off. They were no longer in the climate controlled Beacon, but on an island more similar to Menagerie, “Can I take this off?”

 

“Yeah,” Ruby said, armor vanishing as she looked around, “Where's…?”

 

Blake pulled the coat off, throwing it onto the sandy beach, before doing the same with her vest, leaving her in the white halter top she wore under it, “Who are we-?”

 

“Riku!” Blake whirled in place, staring at the plush toy jumping up and down, “RIIIKUUU! She's here!”

 

Before Blake could try to figure out what she was looking at, a little boy with white hair came thundering down a boardwalk to their left, another boy with brown hair following him, “Ruby!”

 

“Wha-?” Before Ruby could respond, the white haired boy threw himself from the boardwalk, colliding with her and sending her tipping back.

 

“Where were you!?” The boy asked, clutching onto Ruby like he was afraid she would disappear, “Nobody but Sora would believe me, and Chithiry wasn’t talking around other people because of some stupid order and I was scared I was goin’ crazy and-”

 

What the hell…

 

“I was at school,” Ruby said, “It's only been a few days…”

 

“But it felt like forever~!” the boy complained, “I- who are you?” 

 

Blake stared down at the boy, taking a moment to realize he was talking to her, “Uh…?”

 

Blake looked over at the plush, only to see it laying on the ground. What the hell.

 

“It's polite to introduce yourself first,” Ruby said.

 

“Oh, I'm Riku,” the boy said.

 

“I'm Blake,” Blake greated, mind reeling, “is he, uh…?”

 

“He's my apprentice,” Ruby said.

 

“He's, like, five.”

 

“So?”

 

Oh, boy…

  
  
  


\--- X AN X---

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure I'm happy with the last bit, so if it vanishes into the ether in between now and next chapter, don't be surprised.
> 
>  
> 
> So, you lot missed the start of a "glorious" debate on the matter of Jaune and whether he should stay in the plot or get caught. I'm currently remaining neutral, so feel free to offer your opinions.
> 
>  
> 
> Thoughts and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?


	6. Chapter 6

Blake leaned against the tree, watching in equal parts of awe and horror as Ruby let Riku swing her secondary weapon around like it was a toy. When something poked her bow, it sent Blake jumping, twirling and reaching for Gambol Shroud…

 

Which she didn't have on her. Luckily, as it was the other boy who had done it. 

 

Jumping at kids, what was next?

 

“Hi?” Blake said.

 

“Hi!” the boy said, blinking down at her with blue eyes, kicking his feet and apparently completely unaware he had just sent Blake jumping out of her skin, “Do ya have someting under that bow?”

 

The ‘someting’ under that bow flattened, “No.”

 

The boy nodded, “Ok!”

 

Blake gave a relieved sigh, leaning back against the tree. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Ruby watching her, “What?”

 

“Nothing,” Ruby's eyes jumped away from Blake, returning to Riku. Crescent Rose was impaled in the ground in front of her, the glassy eye staring at Riku.

 

“Hey, Ruby?” the little boy asked.

 

“What's up?” Ruby asked.

 

“Do ya think you could teach me too?”

 

Blake sucked in a breath as Ruby froze, eyes growing wide. Riku, meanwhile, let go of the sword, letting it sink into the ground with a heavy ‘thunk’, “Yeah! Me and Sora could kick butt all day if we both knew how to fight! We’d be like hwaa~!”

 

The boy grabbed the sword from the ground, swinging it around wildly while making exaggerated noises.

 

No, seriously, how light was that sword that a  _ five year old _ was using it as a toy?

 

Ruby held out her hand, a flash of purple light appearing in it and Riku's hand, almost sending the boy toppling. Ruby span the light around, thrusting it into the ground just before it faded to reveal with other sword.

 

“We'll see,” Ruby said, fingers rapping against the sword’s square guard.

 

“Ruby, can I talk to you alone?” Blake asked.

 

“Yeah, sure,” Ruby pushed off the tree, drawing Crescent Rose and letting it vanish in an explosion of fire. As they began to walk away, Blake grabbed the other sword from its place.

 

Wow, it really  _ did _ feel light. Almost  _ too  _ light.

 

“Wassup?” Ruby asked after they'd gotten a few yards away from the kid, who had quickly descended into pantomiming fighting.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“What do you mean-?”

 

“Why are you ‘training’,” Blake made air quotes, “a five year old?”

 

“Why wouldn't I?” Ruby asked.

 

“Because he’s too young?”

 

“It wasn't my idea!” Ruby defended. 

 

“Then who's was it?” Blake asked.

 

“Aqua's.”

 

“Then Aqua is an id-”  Blake cut herself off as Ruby span in place, snarling at her.

 

“Don't you  _ dare _ ,” Ruby snapped.

 

“Sorry,” Blake apologized, “That was uncalled for.”

 

“It's fine,” Ruby muttered, all but making it clear it was anything  _ but _ . Great. Blake went out in an attempt to get closer to her partner, instead she was just alienating Ruby.

 

“So, uh… Why'd Aqua tell you to train a kid?”

 

“Terra picked him,” Ruby said.

 

“Why'd he do that?”

 

Ruby shrugged, “Dunno. He went missing.”

 

“So, where’d you get this weapon?” Blake asked, hastily trying to change the topic. 

 

“It was Master Eraqus’s.”

 

Son of a bitch. Why did she get the partner who’s life was a freakin’ minefield of problems?

 

“Sorry,” Blake said.

 

“I just,” Ruby's head bowed, tears dripping onto the sand, “I miss him…”

 

Blake reached out, awkwardly planting the hand not holding Eraqus's sword on Ruby's shoulder again. Ruby crumbled, sobbing. 

 

In a perfect world, Ruby might have had enough time to let her emotions on the matter out. Blake might have found something to say to help her partner. 

 

Unfortunately, this wasn't a perfect world, and there was the bane of emotional people everywhere around.

 

Kids.

 

“Ruby!” Riku called, “Ruby!?”

 

“What?” Ruby asked, pushing herself up and wiping the tears on her sleeve.

 

“Wanna get ice cream?”

 

Silence reigned between Blake and Ruby, who's eyes met. Blake shrugged, Ruby nodded. 

 

“Sure?”

 

“Yay!”

 

\--- X  **Riku** X---

 

Riku hopped out of the boat with a laugh, running towards the ice cream shop… and stopping as Ruby appeared in front of him planting a hand on top of his head, “Slow down, Kiddo.”

 

“Yeah!” Sora called, running towards Riku while holding onto Chirithy, “You forgot Chirithy!”

 

“Sorry, buddy,” Riku said, taking the oversized plush and gently rubbing its head. Chirithy didn't say anything, just slightly pressing its head against Riku's hand.

 

He needed to find out if Chirithy was a boy or girl. Did dolls have… uh… uh…

 

Were they boys or girls? Like, there were ones made to look like they were one, but what about ones like Chirithy, who were cats? 

 

Cats could be boys or girls, right? So didn't that mean Chirithy cou-?

 

Riku jumped as Ruby poked his nose, “Hey! Whatcha thinking about?”

 

“Is Chirithy a boy or a girl?” Riku asked, blinking up at Ruby.

 

“Uh… what?”

 

“Is Chirithy,” Riku shook the doll, who didn't move, “a boy or a girl?”

 

“I… don't know,” Ruby said.

 

“Oh…” Riku said, looking down at Chirithy. Ruby didn't know? Ruby, who knew about other worlds and fighting?

 

“I think what Ruby means,” the other girl, Blake, said, “is that since Chirithy is yours, they're whatever you want them to be.”

 

“Uh, yeah!” Ruby nodded, “C'mon, let's get that ice cream.”

 

“Ok!” Riku nodded, taking Ruby's hand and dragging her towards the ice cream shop on the boardwalk.

 

The one his parents owned.

 

“Dad!” 

 

“Riku?” his dad asked, looking up from the book he was reading, “What are you doing here? I thought you were on the kid's island?”

 

“Ruby came back, Dad!” Riku cheered, pulling the girl forward. 

 

“Ruby?” Riku's dad tilted his head, looking at the girl, “Ah, the girl that got you Chithiry right?”

 

“Yeah!”

 

“Thank you for that,” Adan said to Ruby, “Riku's been refusing to be apart from the little guy-”

 

“How's my dad know what Chirithy is if you don't?” Riku asked.

 

“It's a figure of speech, kiddo,” his dad said.

 

“A what?”

 

“Don't worry about it,” his dad said, looking up at Ruby, “You're from outta town, aren't ya?”

 

“Uh, yeah, something like that.”

 

“I could tell from the look of ya,” he said as Sora and Blake walked into the room, “it happens every once in a while. Someone wanders into shops, wearing clothes like that don't work for the weather. Last one started with a J, I think. Anyways, what can I get you.”

 

“Let's see,” Ruby muttered, eyes scanning, “Oh, dang. There's none of that stuff Mr. Mcduck sells. Uh, do you have cookie dough?”

 

“Of course!” Adan pushed himself off the counter, vanishing into the back, “And what about you?”

 

Blake jumped, bow tilting, “I'm go-”

 

“Blake,” Ruby said.

 

“I didn't bring any mo-”

 

“I'm paying,” Ruby said.

 

“...Vanilla.”

 

“Sora, the normal?”

 

“Ye, Uncle Adan.”

 

“Righ’,” Riku's dad came walking back, balancing two ice cream cones and holding a packaged pop and sandwich between his teeth, “‘orry I'm carrin’ ‘o much. Wife's been ‘ bi’ unde’ da weathe’”

 

“It's fine,” Ruby said, pulling out a bag from the pocket of her coat, popping it open and pouring a handful of gil into it, “Is this enough?”

 

“Too much,” Adan said, grabbing a few square coins.

 

“...I knew Scrooge was ripping me off,” Ruby muttered to herself.

 

“C'mon~” Riku whined, jumping up and down with his sandwich. 

 

“Don't hurry her,” Adan said.

 

“Yeah,” Ruby nodded, “See you around?”

 

“If you'll be around,” Adan said.

 

\--- X  **Blake** X---

 

Blake couldn't help but marvel at how peaceful the island was as the quartet walked around the boardwalk. Where in the world was this?

 

Vale, despite being built between mountains and shallow seas, still bristled with defenses. Some obvious, like guard towers, and others subtle, like the larger than normal quantity of Huntsman in the city. It made White Fang operations a risky proposition. 

 

Other cities often had some form of defense force, normally unofficial ‘guilds’ of Huntsman that operated out of the city or a contingent of mechs. Either way, you could sense the preparation for Grimm on the air.

 

Even Kuo Kuana had a militant cell of the White Fang on hand, ready to kill any Grimm that wandered towards from the Menagerie outback. It had been where Blake had first become a member. 

 

And it had been through that that Blake first decided to break her father's trust. She had promised not to get swept into the Fang, and instead, she had run away from home.

 

Dust and Maidens, she was a terrible dau-

 

Blake jumped again, nearly dropping the ice cream while turning to look at Ruby, who was seated at a chess table with Riku, letting the boy ‘play’ the game, clearly uncaring about the several consecutive moves he was doing… and that he was just sorta moving the pieces willy nilly. She had rapped her right hand, the one not holding the ice cream, against the table, “Blake?”

 

“What?” Blake responded.

 

“You alright? Ya were just kinda staring at space.”

 

“Yeah,” Riku nodded, sticking his tongue out as he grabbed a black and white piece, colliding them together with a ‘psh’ noise, drawing a giggle from Sora as he sucked on his pop.

 

“Fine,” Blake said.

 

“Ya sure?” Ruby asked.

 

“Just… thinking about my parents,” Blake admitted. Ruby had revealed a frankly boggling amount of her life to Blake today, from a full blown panic attack to breaking down over Eraqus, the least Blake could do was give a little in return, “I haven't seen them in a long time.”

 

“Ah,” Ruby nodded, “Ya want me to open a Corridor to their place before we head back to Beacon? Stop in and say hi?”

 

Blake opened her mouth, before snapping it shut as she stared at Ruby, ears twitching wildly. Could the Corridors even reach as far as Menagerie? How would Ruby react to Blake being a Faunus? “No, that's fine.”

 

“Ok,” Ruby said, eyes training on Blake's bow before jumping down to her Scroll, “Oh, man, it's almost dinner.”

 

“We're eating ice cream,” Blake pointed out.

 

“Yeah, but we should probably still be there to hang out with Yang and Pyrrha,” Ruby said.

 

Blake shrugged, conceding the point to Ruby.

 

“Do ya think I could come with you? See your school?” Riku asked.

 

“Maybe this weekend,” Ruby said, gently patting Riku on the head, the other arm behind her back.

 

“Why~?” Riku whined. 

 

“Because I said so,” Ruby said.

 

“C'mon~!”

 

“So this is how Master Eraqus felt?” Ruby muttered, before raising her voice, “No, Riku.”

 

“Fine,” Riku puffed out his cheeks, crossing his arms.

 

“Don't be like that,” Ruby said.

 

“But I wanna see other worlds more!” Riku complained. 

 

What.

 

“We'll go on plenty of trips later,” Ruby said, “but not now. Besides, I have a very important job for you.”

 

“What?”

 

“Make sure Sora gets home safe,” Ruby crouched, pointing to Chirithy, “and  _ you _ make sure Riku gets home safe, alright?” 

 

Blake's ears twitched, catching a high pitched voice go, “Alright.”

 

Was that thing  _ alive _ ?

 

Blake leaned down, staring at Chirithy, “You know I heard you, right?”

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

Nothing.

 

Blake stood back up, shaking her head. No, that was insane. She was just hearing things, that was all. Dolls didn't talk.

 

Right?

 

Blake sighed, rubbing her eyes. Don't be ridiculous, Blake.

 

“Will do!” Riku saluted, grabbing Chirithy in one hand and Sora's hand in the other, dragging him back towards the ice cream shop, “Tell Yang I said hi!”

 

“You're gonna have to put the coat back on,” Ruby said, shrugging it off and offering it to Blake.

 

Blake took it with an irritated groan, “just make sure the corridor is open when I'm done.”

 

“I'll do you one better,” Ruby said, grabbing Blake by the hand the minute Blake had the oppressive black coat on, hitting her armored shoulder and returning to the armor as a blackness enveloped them both.

 

That it was cold, in Blake's personal opinion, was a cherry on top after being in the hot sun of…

 

Wherever. 

 

“Do you think you'll come back with me, sometime?” Ruby asked as they walked through the tunnel, “I'm… I'm not sure I'm ready to teach Riku on my own.”

 

Well, at least she admitted that.

 

“Probably. It's a nice place,” Blake said. Peaceful, even. And it was an island, so there were probably fish to catch, “but we're gonna need to have to find a cold place to teleport to, because this coat is way too hot. I don't get how you were wearing it.”

 

“You get used to it,” Ruby said with a shrug.

 

“I don't want to get used to it,” Blake complained.

 

\--- X Glynda X---

 

Glynda sat next to Ozpin, watching the slowed recording of her class with tight lips. Slowly she watched the look of horror dawn on Ruby's face as Miss Belladonna vanished into the walls of ice, her silver eyes snapping up to the screen.

 

When Miss Belladonna was frozen, Ruby grabbed the desk, throwing herself over it while a flash of smoke and fire appeared in her hand, fading to reveal her sword bared at the wall.

 

The distorted, borderline hellish noise of the gun came across twenty times, followed by twenty flashes of light traveling across the screen and ramming into the ice. Seconds before impact, Ruby shifted the sword, letting the blade smash into the ice and shatter it. 

 

Ruby rushed past Miss Schnee, throwing herself in front of Miss Belladonna just before Ozpin froze the video, “Intriguing…”

 

“What?”

 

“I'll play it again,” Ozpin rewinded to just before Ruby barreled through the ice. Glynda watched it again, watching Ruby move pass-

 

And then it dawned on her.

 

“Why wouldn't she-?”

 

“Assault Miss Schnee?” Ozpin asked, “exactly what I want to know. It would have achieved the same goal, but she chose to throw herself between the attack instead of eliminating the source of it.”

 

“I'm glad she didn't,” Glynda said, reaching up to rub her eyes beneath her glasses, “can you imagine the media shitstorm that could have arisen? Jacques Schnee would just love to make any other organization look bad-”

 

“-and if he attempted to character assassinate one of my students for  _ trauma _ ,” Ozpin said, eyes flashing, “He would very quickly learn that I am not so much a pushover as he likes to think everyone other than himself is. Nor is his PR team half as good as to let him escape my wroth, if I’m pushed to it.”

 

Glynda went silent for a minute as Ozpin bowed his head, sucking in a breath of air before he coughed, “I'm sorry, Glynda. That was rude of me. You merely brought up a potential.”

 

“It's fine,” Glynda said, reaching out to touch his arm.

 

“She's a child, Glynda,” Ozpin said, pushing her hand away, “I invited her to Beacon so she could  _ remain _ such.”

 

“Then we'll have to do everything in our power to make sure it happens,” Glynda said.

 

“Yes, and to do that...” Ozpin said, pulling up a window.

 

_ We need to talk. _

 

Another message popped up shortly. 

 

_ Give me a few days. _

 

_ NOW, Qrow. _

 

Silence echoed between the two of them, before a call popped up. Ozpin hit the accept button, perhaps with a bit too much force.

 

Qrow's face appeared across the screen, wearing a black bandana across his left eye, “What is it, Oz?”

 

“I thought you would want to know your nieces are at Beacon.”

 

“I kno-” Qrow stopped, eye narrowing, “Wait…”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“You said niece _ s _ .”

 

“I did.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because they're both here.”

 

Qrow was quite for a long moment, before snorting, “Yeah, right. Listen, Oz, I'm busy hunting down that bitch, so if you could  _ not _ call me for a joke-”

 

“It isn't a joke.”

 

“Why'd Ruby be at Beacon? She's training with E-”

 

“Eraqus is  _ dead _ , Qrow.”

 

Qrow's face betrayed a look of utter shock, his mouth dropping open, “You're fucking kidding me.”

 

“I'm not.”

 

Qrow’s head tilted up, swallowing a heavy gulp from his flask, “What killed him? Eraqus was a good fighter.”

 

“We don't know,” Ozpin said.

 

“What'dya mean, you don't know?” Qrow asked.

 

“Ruby likely knows, but we're in a bit of a bind with her at the moment.”

 

“How?” Qrow asked.

 

“She suffered what appeared to be a Post Traumatic attack earlier.”

 

“I'll be right there,” Qrow said.

 

“Qrow-”

 

“If you're gonna ask me to stay away when my fucking  _ niece _ had a panic attack, you've got another thing coming,” Qrow growled, throwing the eyepatch off as he stormed out of wherever he was, followed by Harbinger going off, “Amber can wait a day.”

 

“I was going to suggest grabbing Tai,” Ozpin said.

 

“Abso-fucking-lutely,” Qrow said.

 

\--- X  **Qrow** X---

 

_ Qrow sat on the couch of their hotel, one arm leaning on the back as he stared at the scared man in front of him and Tai. Finally, Tai gave a scoff, “Yeah, right.” _

 

_ “Taiyang,” the man, Eraqus said, “I know what I'm saying may seem impossible-” _

 

_ “It sounds like something you made up,” Qrow rasped, but glanced out the window, across the beach to where Ruby was animatedly talking to the blue haired girl and brown haired boy that Eraqus had introduced them to, rushing between the massive sword Terra owned and the smaller one Aqua had. _

 

_ Qrow, if he was completely honest,  _ **_did_ ** _ believe Eraqus was telling the truth, or at least part of it. When you and your sister could turn into a bird, and you were the guardian of women with literal magic, you really didn't have room to just outright deny things like this. _

 

_ “Anymore than monsters of darkness?” Eraqus argued. _

 

_ “That's different,” Tai said, “Everyone knows Grimm exist.” _

 

_ “But if we traveled to a different world, it would be just as ridiculous to them,” Eraqus shot back. _

 

_ Point to him. _

 

_ “Still, I'm completely capable of training Ruby,” Qrow said. _

 

_ “I understand your desire to keep your daughter clo-” _

 

_ “Niece.” _

 

_ “I'm sorry?”  _

 

_ “She's my niece.” _

 

_ “I see,” Eraqus bowed his head, “I had presumed you two's status, you have my apologies.” _

 

_ “It happens a lot,” Qrow said, “We look sim-” _

 

_ “I wasn't referring to you and Ruby.” _

 

_ Qrow starred in confusion for a second, before it sunk in what Eraqus was implying. A loud chuckle rose up, tearing its way out of his throat, “Yeah, no.” _

 

_ “Clearly,” Eraqus said, “as I was saying. The Keyblade isn't like a normal weapon. While you could no doubt teach her to use it as a weapon as well as I, if not better, you are completely incapable of teaching her to use the more… esoteric abilities granted by the Keyblade.” _

 

_ “Magic,” Tai deadpanned.  _

 

_ “Yes,” Eraqus said, holding out a hand and creating a ball of light. _

 

_ “That could just be your Semblance,” Qrow observed. Just because he believed Eraqus, didn't mean he trusted him. _

 

_ “Then perhaps a demonstration?” Eraqus asked, “You are a swordsman, correct?” _

 

_ “You wanna fight?” _

 

_ “Spar, yes.” _

 

_ Qrow reached for Harbinger, flicking it open and loading a pair of ice dust shells, “Sure.” _

 

_ “Qrow,” Tai said. _

 

_ “It'll be fine,” Qrow said, following Eraqus out of the hotel, pressing his feet into the sand. Perfect.  _

 

_ “Uncle Qrow?” Ruby asked, “What's going on?” _

 

_ “Master?” Aqua and Terra asked. _

 

_ “Watch carefully, you three,” Eraqus said, summoning his E toothed sword. _

 

_ Qrow narrowed his eyes, “Yeah, watch carefully kids.” _

 

_ Qrow wasted no time in firing Harbinger at Eraqus. The Keyblade master swung up a hand, letting the ice explode on a barrier before dropping it, icicles crashing against the sand. _

 

_ Qrow dashed forward, loading two lightning shells into Harbinger as he went. The greatsword slammed into Eraqus's Keyblade, stopping Qrow in his tracks. Qrow grinned, shifting Harbinger so the gun was leveled at Eraqus's chest and fired. _

 

_ Eraqus went skidding back, grunting and patting the smoke off his armor, before angling that hand out towards the sea, “I see…” _

 

_ Qrow's eyes widened as a wave of water rose up, sailing over Eraqus's head unnaturally to come crashing down towards Qrow in a spike. _

 

_ Yeeeep. Magic was  _ **_definitely_ ** _ involved. _

 

_ Qrow swung Harbinger at the wave, feeling his arm strain under the unnatural force of so much water forced in one location, the wave pushing him back slightly.  _

 

_ And then it froze, the entire wave became solid ice. Qrow growled as he tugged on Harbinger, which refused to budge. _

 

_ “Uncle Qrow!” Ruby called, pointing to the ice above him. Qrow glanced up in time to see Eraqus sliding on the ice, landing behind Qrow.  _

 

_ Qrow let go of Harbinger, spinning and swinging at Eraqus with a haymaker. Eraqus blocked the punch with his hand, but was smashed backwards across the sand. _

 

_ You didn't learn how to use a sword like Harbinger one handed without some serious upper body strength. Eraqus's hand was testament to that. _

 

_ “Master!” Aqua called, beginning to step forward.  _

 

_ “Stay back!” Erquas ordered, before waving his sword over his hand. The bones snapped back into place with a sickening crack, before he waved his hand, clenching his fist experimentally, “Very interesting…” _

 

_ Eraqus thrust his offhand at Qrow, a bolt of lightning crackling across the air and crashing into Qrow. Qrow grit his teeth as pain lanced down his right side before he was blasted off his feet and smashing into Harbinger hard enough to dislodge it from the ice. Qrow grabbed the sword, deflecting several blasts of light from Eraqus, and charged for the Keyblade Master. _

 

_ Eraqus ran one hand down his Keyblade, creating an extended blade of light as Qrow approached. Qrow swung for him once, twice, three times, and was deflected each, on the fourth, the moment Qrow had been waiting for happened.  _

 

_ Eraqus slipped in the sand. _

 

_ Qrow brought his sword swinging down as Eraqus fell backwards, only for a barrier to form around Eraqus, holding the attack back long enough for Eraqus to plant one hand into the sand, vaulting backwards and landing on his feet. _

 

_ Then Eraqus’s Keyblade vanished, and he bowed towards Qrow, “I think I've made my case.” _

 

_ “Uh… What?” _

 

_ “If everything I have done over the course of this fight hasn't convinced you that I have valuable experience in fields you don't to teach Ruby, nothing will.” _

 

_ “Right,” Qrow said under his breath. He had forgotten why he was even fighting in the first place… “Yeah, you might have a point. I'll talk to Tai.” _

 

\--- X  **AN** X---

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there's an obvious reference to Disney Media that has yet to make an appearance in Kingdom Hearts in this chapter... and one so goddamn oblique that if someone figures it out I'll be bloody impressed. They're different properties, by the way.
> 
> That fight between Eraqus and Qrow was a pain in the neck to write by the way. I was trying to make sure neither came off as too much more powerful than each other (though Eraqus was holding back) while also not having either side steamroll over the other.
> 
> Thoughts and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for another round of find the reference! This one isn't nearly as obtuse as the difficult one from last chapter.

 

\--  **Qrow** \---

 

Qrow sat in the shuttle bringing them up to Beacon, a tense silence stretching between him and Tai, “I can't believe you didn't tell me-”

 

“I would have  _ loved _ to,” Tai snapped, “If you picked up the damn Scroll.”

 

Qrow winced. He had been so fixated on trying to find out who the woman who attacked Amber was, he had shut out everything else. He had missed his family going into an emergency. 

 

“How bad is it?”

 

“She looks like someone tried pushing her into a blender,” Tai growled.

 

Fuck.

 

“What happened?”

 

“Oh, now you care?”

 

Qrow winced, “Listen, Tai. I'm sorry, ok, man? I was bus-

 

“Yeah, yeah you were  _ busy _ . I get it.”

 

Qrow winced again. This was why, all those years ago, they had made the decision to keep Tai out of the loop. He was just too emotional, and was likely to submit to Salem if Ruby and Yang were threatened.

 

“Tai,’” Qrow started, “I didn't know-”

 

“You would have,” Tai rumbled, “if you had answered any of the times I tried to call you!”

 

“It wasn't like that,” Qrow tried to defend, already accepting the steamroller that was Tai's anger.

 

“What happened if she was  _ dead _ ?” Tai asked, “What if I had been trying to call you because I needed help burying my daughter, you dick?”

 

Qrow didn't have an answer to that. What if Ruby had died? Would Tai have been able to withstand it, without Qrow? He had only gotten through Raven running off because of Summer, and he had only gotten through Summer's death once Qrow arrived.

 

The was a roll of revulsion in Qrow's gut as he realized he was becoming like his sister. Prioritizing a third party over his family. What was wrong with him?

 

“I'm sorry,” Qrow croaked out, “It won't happen again, man.”

 

“And why should I trust you about that?” Tai asked, “You haven't been doing your job either.”

 

Qrow stifled another hiss. Great, what the crap could he say to that? He had pretty much abandoned his job at Signal for hunting the woman who attacked Amber.

 

“I'm just as worried about her as you-” Qrow winced the minutes the words were out of his mouth. Wrong thing to say.

 

“Sure you are,” Tai growled as they touched down, ripping the door of the Bullhead open and hopping out, ignoring the crunching noise, “You go talk to your friends, I need to go find my daughter.”

 

Qrow watched Tai stalk towards the cafeteria, sighing. Great. Just great.

 

\--- X  **Yang** X---

 

“I can't believe you ate ice cream before dinner,” Yang said, “Dad would be  _ so  _ angry about that.”

 

“It was just something to do with Riku,” Ruby said, shrugging. 

 

“Yeah, but  _ still _ ,” Yang stressed.

 

“There's a kitchen near our dorm room,” Ruby defended, “I'll make something if I get hungry.”

 

“You know how to cook?” Pyrrha asked, carefully eating some sort of fish. 

 

“Where are those?’” Blake asked, nodding towards it. Pyrrha wordlessly pointed, and Blake grabbed rushed over, grabbing a plate. 

 

“Yeah,” Ruby nodded, “Master Eraqus said it was a good thing to learn, because you couldn't always be sure there would be a restaurant that would take your money.”

 

“Why wouldn't they?” Pyrrha asked, “Lien is supposed to be universal…”

 

“Doesn't mean it is,” Yang shrugged, covering for her sister. She was gonna need to convince Rubes to let Blake and Pyrrha in on the other worlds thing, “Some places still refuse to use it, from what our uncle said.”

 

“But wouldn't the shops also refuse your Lien?” Pyrrha asked.

 

“We  _ are  _ hunters by trade,” Ruby said, “switchin’ over to animals instead of Grimm isn't that hard.”

 

“Or fishing,” Blake said, sitting down with a pile of fish, “There's always fish.”

 

“Well, unless you're in a desert,” Yang drawled.

 

“Whatever,” Blake scoffed, cutting into the first fish on her plate, “You know what I meant.”

 

“I'm just ribbin’ ya, Blake,” Yang chuckled, “Don't take it so seriously.”

 

“Don't joke about fish,” Blake grumbled, eating the first one in record time. Man and Yang thought Ruby packed away cookies.

 

“I-” before Yang could finish, the glass door to the outside slammed open, drawing everyone’s attention to it. Jaw dropping at the sight of Tai-Yang standing in the doorway, eyes scanning before he began to walk towards them, “Dad?”

 

“That's your father?” Blake asked, staring at the giant of a man weaving in between each table with ease despite the nearly breakneck speed he was moving at.

 

“Dad? What are you-” before Ruby could finish, Tai yanked her up and into a hug.

 

“Ozpin called Qrow after your episode,” Tai rumbled.

 

“Oh,” Ruby said, voice cracking. 

 

“Maybe we should head to our room?” Blake suggested.

 

“Who're you?” Tai asked.

 

“Oh,” Ruby’s eyes jumped over to them, “This is Blake, she's my partner. This is-”

 

“Pyrrha Nikos,” Tai said, nodding to her, “I guess you're Yang's partner?”

 

“Yes,” Pyrrha nodded.

 

“Come on,” Tai said, directing them out of the room.

 

Just before they left, however, Yang heard something that caused her to see red. Cardin was snickering, “Daddy come to take her home?”

 

Yang whirled, barely being caught by Pyrrha and Blake and held back from attacking Cardin. Blake sent a look at him, “You're the one who lost. If they called her dad to pick her up, I'm looking forward to watching both your parents to show up.”

 

Yang smirked at the barb, the angry blush from Cardin and the urging from Pyrrha, “You can beat him up eventually, Yang, just wait for the match.”

 

\--- X  **Glynda** X---

 

“She has magic,” Glynda stifled a laugh as Ozpin wasted no time upon Qrow entering the room. Even if the topic wasn't all that funny.

 

“Yeah,” Qrow nodded.

 

“Spring or Autumn?” Ozpin asked, hand gripping his cane tight. They had never found out what happened to Spring after she vanished. 

 

“Neither,” Qrow answered.

 

“Then what?” Ozpin said.

 

“It's that keyblade of hers,” Qrow said, “let's her use magic.”

 

Glynda watched Qrow for any sign he was lying, only relenting when Ozpin’s grip on his cane loosened, “Interesting. Why didn't you tell us?”

 

“Didn't see important,” Qrow shrugged.

 

“Another source of magic didn't seem important, to you?” Glynda asked.

 

“We've had four girls who could do magic for years, we’ve never done anything with them,” Qrow argued, “Why would a fifth shake that up?”

 

“We could protected her,” Ozpin said.

 

“She didn't need protecting.”

 

“You sound sure of that,” Glynda said, “How do you know this Xehanort isn't one of Salem's agents?”

 

“He isn't,” Qrow sighed, “I'm sure of that.”

 

“Obviously, but  _ why _ ?”

 

“...Because she wasn't on Remnant, ok?”

 

Silence reigned around Ozpin's office… or what counted as silence, in a room that was full of gears. Glynda's mind raced at a mile a minute.

 

Not on Remnant?  _ Not on Remnant _ ? What did  _ that  _ mean? There was no way off Remnant, as far as she knew. James had always complained about it, back in the day. He wanted to be the first man to stride across Remnant’s moon, to see if it had any evidence to why it was shattered.

 

“Not… on Remnant?” Ozpin said, tapping his fingers on his cane, eyes narrowing behind his glasses, “Then there would be ways off?”

 

“It's pretty much restricted to Keyblade users, from what Eraqus said. He would never bring us to the Land of Departure, Ruby always came home.”

 

“And you just let him take your niece to a mysterious place?”

 

“Between Ven, Aqua and Terra, I'm pretty sure nothing bad happened.”

 

“So the four of lived with him?” Ozpin asked.

 

“Yeah. They wouldn't of help either. Eraqus was big about this whole concept of the world order. They aren't supposed to get involved with problems unless they come from off world, and most people aren't supposed to know other worlds exist.”

 

“Given that the first thought that came through my mind upon you revealing this was that we could move Summer and Winter off Remnant?” Ozpin said, giving a sad smile, “I can't blame him for holding such a stance.”

 

“I can,” Glynda said, grip on her crop growing tight, “If Qrow hadn't kept this a secret-”

 

“-It likely wouldn't have changed much,” Ozpin sighed, “I doubt we would have been able to convince such a man to break such a rule, anymore than you would be able to convince  _ me _ to reveal Winter's identity to you. Rules exist for a reason, Glynda. They aren't for those who  _ can't _ break them, they are for those who  _ can _ .”

 

Glynda nodded. It was true, as a matter of precaution, Glynda didn't know who the Winter Maiden was, nor who the Spring had been. That way, if she turned traitor, or was otherwise compromised, not every Maiden would need to be relocated.

 

The only member of the guardians who knew every Maiden’s identity was Ozpin himself.

 

“Does Miss Rose know of the existence of the Maidens?”

 

“Didn't seem like something she needed to know,” Qrow said, giving another shrug.

 

“And at this point, it isn't,” Ozpin agreed, eyes growing unfocused, as they always did when he was in thought, “but I wanted to make sure you hadn't… anyways, Qrow, I would suggest going to see your niece. That's why I called you here.”

 

\--- X  **Blake** X---

 

Blake didn't want to admit it, but watching the interaction between Mr. Xiao Long and Ruby  _ hurt _ . Watching him press his forehead against hers, muttering calming words, just reminding her of when she would have anxiety attacks as a kid, and her own father would come in and read to her.

 

It made her want to crumble, to give into the niggling part that wanted to take up Ruby's offer to see her parents and interrupt Mr. Xiao Long's attempts to comfort her daughter. To dive into a Corridor and come out in Menagerie, to rush home and... and…

 

What? Face the disappointment of her parents? She had betrayed their trust, run away from home and joined the White Fang. She was probably  _ disowned  _ by this point. It's what she would do to herself. 

 

Blake was sitting on her bed next to Pyrrha, fists tight. Even if she  _ did  _ go home, now wasn't the time. Ruby deserved more from a partner than just having her Semblance exploited while she was emotionally vulnerable.

 

“So, where did you two go?” Pyrrha asked, doing her best to give the Xiao Long-Rose family some semblance of privacy.

 

“It was this island chain,” Blake said, “somewhere hot. I don't know much else.”

 

“Who’s, ah, Riku?” Pyrrha asked, “a boyfriend?”

 

Blake snorted, “No. He's a five year old.”

 

“Babysitting?”

 

“Ruby called him her apprentice,” Blake said, wondering if she should bring it up with Mr. Xiao Long… or was it Rose? He looked more like Yang though… “She let him play around with her secondary weapon.”

 

“That's… disconcerting,” Pyrrha said, voice careful.

 

“Tell me about it,” Blake nodded, “She said Aqua told her to do it… I don't know wh-” 

 

Blake was cut off by a loud thud shaking the door to their room. After the second, she hopped off the bed, opening the door…

 

And barely dodged out the the way of a steel toed shoe, grabbing Gambol Shroud from off the table next to the door as she flipped back, drawing the blade and shifting it to gun form. Was it the White Fang? Had they already found her!?

 

“Do you want to pay for a broken door?’” Mr. Xiao Long snapped, “because that's how you pay for a broken door.”

 

“Sorry,” the red eyed man said with a shrug. 

 

“Uncle Qrow!?” Ruby squealed, rushing around Mr. Xiao Long to tackle the man into a hug.

 

“Hey, Kiddo,” the man said, planting his hand on Ruby's head and messing up her hair. Like Ruby had done with Riku, “How's your scythe training goin’?”

 

“Good,” Ruby said, “I got a lot of practice in!”

 

“Yeah, it sounds like you went on a bit of an adventure,” Qrow said.

 

“Yeah,” Ruby said, eyes trailing down.

 

“So, what happened with Eraqus?” Qrow said, “Oz said he died?”

 

Well, someone here had the tact of a damp rag.

 

“...Someone killed him,” Ruby said.

 

“Xehanort?” Yang asked.

 

“I think so, yeah.”

 

“Think so?”

 

“It's completely ridiculous,” Ruby said, shaking her head and pacing, “Don't know why I'm even thinking about it!”

 

“Uh… what?” Blake said, adding herself to the conversation for the first time as she shared a confused look with everyone else. That felt like they had suddenly walked into a conversation, one Ruby hadn't designed to clue them in to.

 

“Of course, Braig's lying,” Ruby continued, still pacing, “He works with Xehanort! I shouldn't trust him half as far as I could throw him!

 

“Who the crap is Braig?” Yang asked.

 

“He was a lackey of Xehanort's,” Ruby said, “And he said… he said Terra killed Eraqus-”

 

“And you  _ believe him _ ?” Qrow asked with a incredulous laugh, “Of course he'd blame someone other than his boss!”

 

“Qrow's right,” Mr. Xiao Long said, “Eraqus was like a parent to you four-”

 

“I-”

 

“Ruby,” Mr. Xiao Long cut her off, “I'm not  insecure enough that the idea of you having another father figure hurts me. You lived with Eraqus for years, he's just as much a parent as me or Summer.”

 

Who wasn't here, Blake couldn't help but notice.

 

“But… but…”

 

“And even if you don't feel comfortable saying that,” Mr. Xiao Long continued, “Eraqus definitely saw you as his kids. And he was all Terra had. Of course Terra didn't kill him.”

 

“I'm a terrible friend,” Ruby said, collapsing onto her bed, burying her face in her hands. Her head bowed, it let Blake look down the back of her shirt and see a mess of scars. 

 

Holy shit, and Blake thought the scars  _ she _ had was bad...

 

“Wasn't this whole thing started by Terra running away from home?” Mr. Xiao Long asked.

 

“I guess-”

 

“Then there was probably a tiny bit of doubt already there,” he said, “Bleig probably just preyed on that.”

 

“Braig,” Ruby said, voice quivering.

 

“Whatever,” Mr. Xiao Long said, wrapping Ruby into another hug, “it's gonna be alright. Everyone here will help you.”

 

“And that includes Oz and Glynda too,” Qrow rasped out, “and probably even Port. They're good at this stuff. We can trust you two to help, right?”

 

Blake nodded alongside Pyrrha. Yeah, they could. 

 

\--- X  **Weiss** X---

 

Weiss stepped into the private CCT room, locking the door and sitting down in front of the terminal. Reaching out with a shaking hand, she typed in the code to connect with Winter.

 

2-4-1-1-0.

 

Weiss griped the table as the call cycled through, before going to message. Hanging up, Weiss tried again.

 

2-4-1-1-0

 

“Please,” Weiss muttered under her breath as it went to message again, “ _ please _ pick up.”

 

2-4-1-1-0

 

Finally,  _ finally _ , Winter picked up, harried face pulled into a glare, “This had better be- Weiss?”

 

“Winter!” Weiss sighed, “You answered!”

 

“Clearly,” Winter said, sitting down and crossing her legs, “I'm sorry for not picking up before now, Father has been harassing me again.”

 

“For what?”

 

“Oh, this and that,” Winter waved her hand noncommittally, “What did you need, Weiss?”

 

“I…” Weiss caved, nibbling on her lip, “need your help with something. It's about my partner.”

 

“Ah, yes,” Winter nodded, holding up her Scroll to show an article, “Between you, Miss Nikos, and that girl who took down Roman Torchwick, there were a lot eyes on Beacon yesterday. A lot of them seemed certain you three would end up on a team together.”

 

Weiss had expected the same thing about Pyrrha., but she hadn't known anything about Torchwick. Who had done that?

 

“I don't think he's supposed to be here,” Weiss said without any further preamble.

 

“And why would you think that?” Winter asked, “I understand he wasn't the partner you wanted but-”

 

“He doesn't have his Aura unlocked,” Weiss said.

 

“-That… changes things…” Winter trailed off.

 

“I know,” Weiss said, rising to pace, “What will happen if he's removed from Beacon?”

 

“Weiss-”

 

“Will they send me home?”

 

“Weiss-”

 

“What will Fath-”

 

“Weiss!” Weiss stopped the pacing as Winter raised her voice, “No. They will not send you home because an unqualified student was removed. You're at a school for combat, they are prepared for teams of less than four. You  _ could _ get in trouble for knowing and not doing anything, however. You should report this to the proper authorities.”

 

“I think they already know,” Weiss said.

 

“Then there is all the more reason to report it now, before the investigation gets far enough along that you are complicit in whatever acts…” Winter checked the article, “Jaune did to enter the school. If he broke the law, Weiss, and you knowingly let him get away with it, they could deport you. Even just expressing a worry he may have broken the law to Professor Ozpin would probably be enough to save you.”

 

“But what if Father finds out? He might have me pulled-”

 

“I will pull some strings,” Winter said, “and try to get you some help. Ok?” 

 

“Ok.”

 

\---X  **AN** X---

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts and opinions? Good, bad, meh?


	8. Chapter 8

Yang watched Qrow and Tai walk down the hall, Ruby hanging from their father's back as they went towards the kitchen. Before she could follow, Blake's hand latched onto her bicep, stopping her, “What?”

 

“Ruby's back,” Blake said, “What happened to it?”

 

“Something's wrong with Ruby's back?” Pyrrha asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

 

“She's got scars on her back,” Blake said, “It looked like-”

 

“Someone slashed the shit outta it?” Yang said, a forced grin on her face, “Yeah, Xehanort or one of his cronies.”

 

“They fought?” Blake asked.

 

“She did say Xehanort threw Ven off a cliff,” Pyrrha said.

 

Yang’s eyes flashed red as she growled, low and guttural. She hadn't really put together the pieces before now.

 

“So whoever this guy is,” Blake said, voice low, “He certainly as hell doesn't care about hurting kids…”

 

“Yeah,” Yang said, “I dunno much about it, but the scars are probably the thing Ruby cares about the least.”

 

“How?” Blake snapped, head jerking towards Yang, “it's-”

 

“Dunno,” Yang shrugged, “Really don't. She might not realize how bad it is, I had to go through her bags before we came to Beacon and swap out anything that woulda shown it off.”

 

“But-” Pyrrha started

 

“Maybe she's more focused on what he did to the others,” Yang continued, gathering steam, “Maybe she's just really good at hiding it and I'm falling for it. The point is, Pyr,  _ I don't friggin’ know what's going through Ruby's head, _ and it's pissing me right the hell off!”

 

Yang finished the rant, panting slightly, eyes wide. Where the hell had that come from? Was that… true?

 

Searching her heart for a moment, Yang nodded to herself. Yeah, it was really, really irritating that Ruby seemed to be taking the injuries she had taken calmly. She didn't know what to do, how to keep Ruby safe.

 

What if Xehanort or Braig showed up at Beacon? What of Ruby went after them again? Yang wouldn't be able to… to…

 

Yang blinked as she felt Pyrrha wrap an arm around her, realizing she had sunk to her bed, staring through a haze. Yang stared down at the floor, voice choked.

 

“I don't know what I can do,” Yang said.

 

“We'll help,” Blake said, “We weren't lying when we said that.”

 

“Thanks,” Yang said, feeling hollow. 

 

“Yang!” Yang jerked her head up as Ruby poked her head into the room, blissfully unaware of how out of sorts her big sister was, “Dad wants to know if ya want those macawhatever nuts in some of the cookies?”

 

“Sure,” Yang said, smiling at Ruby as she quickly rubbed the tears out of her eyes 

 

“Cool!” Ruby said, “Pyrrha? Blake? Ya want some?”

 

“Sure,” Pyrrha said with a small smile. 

 

“No thanks,” Blake said, nose wrinkling, “I don't like cookies all that- what?”

 

Ruby's mouth had dropped open, leaving her gaping at Blake, “Don't like… cookies…?”

 

“Yeah,” Blake shrugged, “except the ones my mom ma-”

 

“Why?” Ruby asked, sounding slightly heartbroken, “Even Terra likes cookies, and he doesn't like sweet stuff! I know, we'll make a batch you’ll like, you'll see!”

 

“I-” before Blake could finish, Ruby rushed from the room, “-don't like…”

 

“I don't think Ruby can understand those words together,” Yang said, laughing slightly.

 

“But it's the truth,” Blake said, whining slightly. 

 

“It was the truth for Terra too,” Yang said, “she eventually found a recipe he liked.”

 

\---X  **Ruby** X---

 

“Dad! Daaaaaad!” Ruby thundered down the hall, before crashing into someone, sending them both tipping over. Ruby landed hard, rolling so she could scramble up onto her feet.

 

Thank the Light that she didn't have Crescent Rose on her, because there was no way the Master would let her live down not paying attention enough to crash into someone. Because  _ he'd  _ never do that.

 

Yeah, well, she didn't get to see the future, did she? It wasn't fair when he could just dodge stuff.

 

“Watch where you're going!” the other student, uh… Wish? Whits? No, no, Weiss! snapped, shaking her head.

 

“Sorry,” Ruby squeaked, offering her hand to Weiss, hoisting her up, “Sorry! I wasn't paying attention and- sorry!”

 

“Thanks,” Weiss said, patting her skirt to get the dust off it, before she frowned at Ruby, “Why are you running down the halls?”

 

“I was heading towards the kitchen,” Ruby said.

 

“You were yelling about… your father?” Weiss asked.

 

“Uh, yeah… they called him after… you know, me interrupting your match…” Ruby trailed off, looking down and blushing, “Sorry?”

 

“And he came?” Weiss said, sounding confused and… a bit sad?

 

“Yeah…” Ruby said, head still bowed. Was she gonna be made fun of for this? The girl who had her dad come the first day?

 

That's what would've happened before she moved to the Land of Departure.

 

“That's… interesting,” Weiss said, “Why's he in the kitchen?”

 

“He's making cookies,” Ruby said, before perking up. She knew how she could make breaking that spar up to Weiss! “C'mon!”

 

“Wha-?” Before Weiss could finish, Ruby grabbed her arm, dragging her along, “Woah! Where are you taking me, you- you-”

 

“To the kitchen!” Ruby said, smiling triumphantly, “Dad'll make you cookies too!” 

 

“I don't-” Weiss started, before cutting herself off, “...Thank you. I've been having a rather rough day.”

 

“Same,” Ruby said with a small, sad smile. 

 

“I could tell,” Weiss said.

 

\---X  **Luxu** X---

 

Luxu stepped out of the portal onto the waterfront, scratching at the relatively fresh scars. Walking forward, Luxu watched the other man toss a stone across the water, letting it skip before it impacted something just below the surface. 

 

“Holy hell,” the hooded man said, not making any sign he had so much as looked at Luxu, “He really did a number on you, eh, Luxu?”

 

“He's just lucky I didn't have Gazing Eye,” Luxu said, reaching down to grab a stone of his own and joining his mentor in skipping the rock along the water, “I would've trashed the brat.”

 

“It's not called that,” the Master singsonged.

 

“I'm not calling it No Name, dammit!” Luxu barked with a laugh.

 

“In that stage again, Luxu?” the Master asked.

 

“It's friggin’ contradictory,” Luxu said, “‘What's your weapon's name?’ No Name.”

 

“It was never a problem with me,” the Master said, laughing.

 

“You didn't talk to people who would complain about it,” Luxu said, “Well, Aced would.”

 

“And he did,” the Master said, tossing another rock, “Now, ask the damn question, already.”

 

“So, who's the new girl?” Luxu said, “Ruby?”

 

“She's like you.”

 

“I could tell that,” Luxu said, “She's carting around Gazing Eye Two, with twice the overcompensation!”

 

“She's a girl,” the Master laughed. 

 

“So, what's her title? And does she have a guild?”

 

“Luxu. And I was thinking of calling it Scorpiones, since you never got around to having one named after the little bugs.”

 

“As if,” Luxu scoffed. 

 

“I'm not joking. Seemed fitting, to name you both after the same sin, when you're both my eyes.”

 

“Never got why you named us that way,” Luxu said, “How was Aced not Ira and… ok, so the others kinda met the names at least halfway.”

 

“It makes sense to me,” the Master said, “and that's all that matters, at the end of the day.”

 

Luxu snorted, “You know, there's a story I came across that this reminds me of.”

 

“Oh, yeah?”

 

“Yeah. It was the story of a one eyed god call the Hooded One, he had a pair of ravens that flew around the world and told him things. That was a long time ago, though.”

 

“You're treating Time the wrong way, Luxu,” the Master said, “it isn't a line. Let's assume a shaman got a glance into the future, and based the myth around what he saw there.”

 

“So when are you turning us into rav-”

 

“He was probably higher than a kite,” the Master waved his hand, “that gets the imagination going and trust me, imagination can mold things heavily. In one London, you take the second star to the right and go straight on ‘til morning, no matter if that's five minutes or five hours, and you wind up in a place where pirates fight little boys who never grow up, in another, if things are bad enough, a flying nanny will come down from the sky to help you! Neither of those existed in the original one, but kids that survived the War held those stories in their Heart, so when they formed their worlds, they became part of the ‘em.”

 

The Master cut himself off, laughing maniacally.

 

“What?” Luxu asked.

 

“Luxu II's uncle keeps trying to touch her Keyblade. I'm keeping it from happening so he doesn't inherit it.”

 

“That's not how Keyblade Inheritance works.”

 

“Luxu,” the Master chuckled, “I'm the guy who knows the most about Keyblades. I know that, it just doesn't stop it from being funny!”

 

Luxu rolled his eye at his Master falling back onto a bench, laughing maniacally. The Master's sense of humor was often funny only to him.

 

Made Luxu almost feel sorry for the new girl.

 

\---X  **Weiss** X---

 

Weiss followed Ruby towards the kitchen, glad to find something to distract her from the looming dread of dealing with Jaune. But, on some level, she couldn't help marvel at the idea of a parent rushing to Beacon to see their daughter. Even if she had gone to  _ Atlas _ , her parents wouldn't have done that. They would have, at best, sent Klein.

 

At the same time, Weiss felt her eyes drift to other girl in a fit of paranoia. What if she was only being this nice to Weiss because she was the daughter and heiress of the richest family on Remnant? Weiss’s freehand clenched tight…

 

Until a startled curse came from the kitchen, and Ruby let go of her hand to rush forward, “Uncle Qrow? What's wrong?”

 

“Your damn sword keeps shocking me!” ‘Qrow’ snapped.

 

“Uh, what?”

 

“Come see!” Qrow said.

 

Weiss stepped into the room as Ruby grabbed the massive sword from the table without it doing anything. The minute she handed it the the black haired man and let go, however, Qrow lept back with a yelp, dropping the keyblade onto the table and shaking his hand to disperse the black lightning that was dancing around it.

 

“What the heck?” Ruby said, catching the sword and looking down at it with a scrunched up brow. Weiss felt her hair stand on end as the blue eye embedded in the guard seemed to stared at her, slowly letting her hand drift towards Myrtenaster.

 

“You get used to it,” the blond man standing in front of the counter said, before looking back, “Did Yang want me to make some macadamia cookies?”

 

“Yeah!” Ruby called, flicking the eye, “What's… did anyone else try holding it?”

 

“No,” the man said.

 

“Get used to it?” Weiss asked.

 

“The eye creeps you out, right?” the man said, “it creeps everyone other than Ruby out. I'm her father, by the way, Tai.”

 

Weiss glanced between the two, looking for similarities between the two, and finding a distinct lack of obvious ones, “I'm Weiss Schnee.”

 

“I could tell,” Tai said.

 

“What's that supposed to mean?”

 

“White hair,” Tai pointed a wooden spoon at her, “blue eyes, Dust heavy weap-”

 

“Shit, is that Ice Queen’s sister?” Qrow asked, hand brushing Ruby's sword as she put it on the the table, and sending him tipping back with a yelp as it shocked him again, “Son of a-!”

 

“I don't know why it's doing that!” Ruby insisted, before the sword exploded into fire on the table, vanishing completely as the flames faded, “I'm just gonna put it away, maybe it will be better tomorrow!”

 

What the heck. How had she just summoned  _ fire _ ? Weiss didn't see any Dust...

 

“Ice Queen?” Weiss asked.

 

“Winter Schnee?” Qrow said, clamoring to his feet, “About this tall, one of Jimmy's girls?”

 

“You know my sister?” Weiss asked. Jimmy?

 

“Why'd you bring her here?” Qrow asked Ruby.

 

“Hey!” Weiss snapped.

 

“What's that supposed to mean?” Ruby asked, “She looked sad, so I brought her to get cookies!”

 

“Uh…” Weiss blinked, “Thanks?”

 

“But-” Qrow started, only to cut himself off with a sigh, throwing his hands up, “Fine. Whatever. She's here now, I guess. Can I see Crescent Rose again?”

 

“Why?” Ruby asked.

 

“I want to see if the electricity is gone.”

 

“Are you… sure?”

 

“Yeah,” Qrow sighed.

 

“Ok…” Ruby’s hand exploded into fire and smoke that vanished in short order, as she held out the sword to Qrow, who took it gingerly, only to grin as nothing happened.

 

“There we-” Qrow dropped it with a yelp of pain, punting the sword across the room, where it crashed into the wall next to Weiss, “Son of a bitch!” 

 

Weiss stepped away from the sword, watching it paranoidly as Ruby rushed over to it with tears in her eyes.

 

\---X  **Glynda** X---

 

Glynda stepped into the kitchen, watching Ruby talk to Miss Schnee in an animated flurry of movement, apparently not noticing the look of uncomfortable bewilderment on Miss Schnee's face. Glynda couldn't help but bite the inside of her cheek.

 

Ruby Rose had magic.

 

Ruby Rose had  _ magic _ . Who was irresponsible enough to give someone so… childish magic? How long had Ruby even had that Keyblade, if it was the source of her magic?

 

Had Eraqus given it to her, therefore dragging Ruby into whatever conflict had got him killed? Would this Xehanort arrive at Beacon looking for her, endangering the students, or was it a rivalry between Eraqus and Xehanort alone, where he only fought Eraqus's apprentices because they came after him?

 

Glynda hated this. She hated knowing that she didn't know what was going on. Somehow, a fifteen year old had just sent everything flipping on its head. They now had questions they had never needed to ask!

 

Before, Magic was purely the domain of the Maidens. But what happened if someone stole Ruby's Keyblades? Would the new owner suddenly gain the ability to use magic? Would they be able to access the relics?

 

If so, Qrow had been beyond negligent in not informing them, because they needed to hide the Keyblades as fast and as well as possible. They were too dangerous to be in  _ anyone's  _ hands, let alone Ruby's.

 

If each of Eraqus's apprentices had a Keyblade, alongside him and Xehanort, that meant there were…  _ at least _ six of them floating around. Potentially more.

 

What the hell were they supposed to do about that? Ozpin seemed content to let Ruby keep the weapon for now, but what about the others? Ven was comatose, wasn't he?

 

Glynda wanted to scream and claw at her hair. This entire thing opened too many cans of worms!

 

“You alright, Gly?” Glynda snapped to attention at Qrow's rasp, realizing that everyone was staring at her, “You've just been standing there for a few minutes…”

 

“Fine,” Glynda said,”Just thinking. Miss Schnee, I didn't expect to see you here, I would have thought you would be with your team…”

 

“I was… planning to come looking for you,” Miss Schnee said, voice carefully level, “but Ruby bumped into me and brought me along.”

 

“We're baking cookies!” Ruby said, apparently unaware of the stress she was causing Glynda.

 

“Alright then,” Glynda muttered to herself, “I came to give Qrow and Tai a key to one of the spare rooms. It's getting rather late, so I doubt you two are heading back to Patch.”

 

“Probably not,” Tai agreed, taking the card from her and slotting it into the bottom of his Scroll, transferring the data over before he handed it to Qrow.

 

“And Oz is fine with me staying?” Qrow asked, the true form of the question remaining unspoken. 

 

“Yes,” Glynda said, “Miss Schnee. Why don't we step out of the room for a few so you could tell me whatever it is, then come back for some of Tai's cookies? They  _ are  _ to die for.”

 

\---X  **Weiss** X---

 

Weiss stepped into the empty room with Professor Goodwitch, biting her lip and wringing her hands. This was for the best, really. If Jaune didn't have his Aura unlocked, if he had gotten into this school through illegal means, he needed to be removed. It wasn't safe for anyone!

 

If it was like Atlas, people died at Beacon, occasionally, and there were inquiries when it happened. If they discovered that Jaune wasn't supposed to be here at all, the Professors could be put under review for it. Jaune's family could sue for his death!

 

“What is it you wanted to discuss?” Professor Goodwitch asked.

 

Weiss sucked in a breath of air, closing her eyes. She could do this, she  _ had _ to do this, “I don't think Jaune should be at Beacon, Ma'am.”

 

“And why is that?”

 

“He doesn't have his Aura unlocked,” Weiss started, “He didn't fight at all during initiation, and even when we met up, he had been pinned to a tree by Pyrrha. If she hadn't done that, Jaune would likely be a pile of gore! I'm not even sure  _ how  _ he got into Beacon without an unlocked Aura, Professor.”

 

“I see…” Professor Goodwitch said, voice carefully measured, “are you sure you aren't just seeing things, because he isn't the partner you wante-”

 

Weiss pulled out her Scroll, pulling up the app that showed Team WRNJ's Auras, checking to make sure that, yes, Jaune's Aura was still stubbornly missing, before she showed it to the Professor, “He doesn't have his Aura unlocked. Please, Professor, this isn't safe. I shouldn't have to be accounting for the safety of my partner during fights.”

 

“As a Huntress, it is you're duty to account for the safety of civilians-”

 

“But there’s a difference between keeping a civilian safe and keeping my partner safe!” Weiss insisted, “As a Huntress, it is my responsibility to defend and evacuate a civilian. If Jaune is willing to risk his safety to sneak into a school, he won't just allow himself to be extracted because he will not view himself as a civilian. This means I will need to defend him in spite of the fact that I should be able to trust him to take care of himself.”

 

“There may well be times you can't extract civilians-”

 

“-but that's different from going into a dangerous location  _ with  _ someone without training!” Weiss snapped, sitting down on the desk and resisting the urge to pull at her hair in frustration. Why was Goodwitch defending him? “I'm supposed to be able to trust him to defend himself and civilians, not to be an glorified civilian himself! We have the Vytal festival later in the year! How are we supposed to participate if he has no training, or even if we unlocked his Aura! Six months of training isn't as good as what the other students will have, and we have to go up against Team RNBY, who has… has…”

 

Weiss cut herself off as Goodwitch planted a hand on her shoulder, blinking back tears. What if they weren't allowed to participate in the Vytal Tournament? Or were, but eliminated in the first round because they needed to plan their strategy around protecting Jaune so they didn't lose him and slow get ganged up on. What if they went on a mission, and she forgot to account for him and he died? 

 

Would her father force her to come home? To marry someone and become a trophy wife while she lost any control of the SDC, like her mother?

 

“We know something is wrong with Mister Arc,” Goodwitch said, “but we need to look into it. His transcripts say he went to Umbra, we'll send over a request for them to check for their copy come morning. If the CCT isn't acting up, which it does with unfortunate regularity at Vacuo due to sandstorms, we should have gotten to the bottom of this by the end of the week. If it is acting up, it will be by the end of the month. I'm sorry if you were hoping for something a bit faster, but there's only so much of this we  _ can  _ do. Urge him to tell the truth, Weiss. Make it clear to him that if he had transcripts forged, he has broken the law, and may get off with a lighter punishment if he confesses. And thank you for coming to me about this, it makes it clear that you, at least, know little of what happened.” 

 

“Thank you,” Weiss said, voice wavering. She believed her, Goodwitch  _ believed her _ !

 

Weiss tried to hide the sob that tore its way out of her throat. 

 

\---X  **Ruby** X---

 

_ OI _ ! Ruby's eyes snapped open, jerking herself up and looking around in bewilderment, before her eyes landed on Crescent Rose hovering over her bed,  _ Destiny Island, now. _

 

“It's,” Ruby started, peering at the clock, “Two in the mor-”

 

_ Now, Ruby, _ the Master ordered, a Corridor opening at the foot of her bed.

 

Ruby rolled out of bed, grabbing her coat and Crescent Rose, not even bothering to zip it up or pull on the hood as she dove into the portal, snapping it shut behind her as she rushed through the Roads Betwixt. Ahead of her, the portal sprang open, casting a strange blue light through the infinite blackness. 

 

What was going on? Had Xehanort shown up, or Braig? Ruby burst out of the portal in a flurry of rose petals…

 

…and froze slightly as she immediately went plummeting, the Master laughing as she fell towards the water.

 

That.. that... jerk!

 

Ruby threw her Keyblade straight down, watching it transform into a ship in a flash and landing on it, throwing herself onto the throne in the center of it and clinging to it as the red and black ship finished its decent with a loud splash, sending water splashing across the surface of the ship. Ruby leaned back on the chair, closing her eyes with a relieved sigh.

 

“Nice reaction time, Luxu,” Ruby snapped her head up as the Master of Masters’ voice spoke up, the ship dipping towards the back, “Though I am kinda wondering why you didn't take off. This ship does fly…”

 

“Shut up,” Ruby muttered as the Master walked by her, heading towards the front of the Manta sized ship, “What's going on? Why'd you call me here? It better not be just to test my reactions or… or...”

 

“Come see, Luxu,” the Master said, casually leaning over the side of the ship without any worry about the lack of railing.

 

Ruby sighed, reaching down to roll up the pants of her pajamas so she could walk across the warm water. Thinking about it, she didn't remember packing this pair… whatever. 

 

Ruby trekked across the ship, standing next to the Master and peering down at a disturbingly familiar sight. A flock of white birds were rising from the depths, vanishing as they hit the surface, “Oh, no…”

 

“Oh, yes!” the Master said with a laugh, sitting down on the edge of the boat and patting the spot next to him, “Take a load off, guiding him through the Dive is gonna be unpleasant either way.”

 

“He's not actually under there, is he?” Ruby asked, feeling her stomach roll.

 

“Nah,” the Master said, waving his hand, “he’s lying in bed, dreaming. We're just out here because it's easiest to reach a dream through water in the world. Technically, we could do the same thing from a bathtub in town, if we were really desperate. But we've got an open sea as far as the eye can see, so no need for that. Now, take a load off, Lux.”

 

Ruby sighed, carefully sitting on the edge of the ship as the last of the birds finally vanished.

 

She didn't remember that taking so long when she went through her Dive…

 

“How am I supposed to reach him?” Ruby asked.

 

“Just speak up,” the Master said, “He'll hear ya.”

 

\---X  **AN** X---

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Good? Bad? Meh?


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, dealing with some stress, and it felt like jumping from the Dive to Jaune or something would be beyond jarring. This is also the chapter where the Master kicks the 'Trickster' part of Trickster mentor into high gear

 

\--- X  **Riku** X---

 

Riku landed on the ground with a thud, spinning his arms to stay standing as he looked around. Where was he?

 

Riku carefully tapped his foot against the ground, hearing a clicking noise like when he bumped two glasses together. Weird…

 

“Hey, kiddo,” Ruby's voice came from all around Riku, causing him to jump and spin in place, looking around the darkness, “uh… don't hurt yourself?”

 

“Where are you?” Riku asked Ruby, beginning to walk towards the edge.

 

“DON'T!” Riku jumped back at Ruby’s loud yell, before she breathed in, “Sorry. Just, don't go off edge, ok?”

 

“Ok?” Riku said, looking around, “Where are we?”

 

“You're in your Dive,” Ruby said, “it's a step towards getting your own Keyblade…”

 

“It is!?” Riku pumped his fist. His own Keyblade? That'd be awesome! He wondered what it would look like? Would it be huge, like Ruby's? Or would it be more like the one she let him practice with?

 

Why didn't she let him use her Keyblade?

 

“Alright,” Ruby said, voice carefully paced, “So, do you see the pedestals?”

 

“What's a pedestal?” Riku asked.

 

Ruby didn't say anything for a few seconds, leaving Riku to look around for the ‘pedestals’. Slowly, three weird tables made from stone came up from the ground, and in a flash of light, three objects appeared above them.

 

Above the one the… Riku raised his hands, making an L with them as he stuck out his tongue… left! The one on the left was a sword shaped like a weird wing, above the one on the right was a shield shaped like a pair of bird wings and in the center was a long stick with one one bird wing and one wing like the sword.

 

“Ruby?”

 

“Give me a second,” Ruby said, “a pedestal is… is…”

 

“Are these stone things pedestals?”

 

“...Yeah,” Ruby sighed, “Alright, so, the sword represents physical strength, the staff represents magical strength, and the shield represents… uh… being able to take a hit, I guess? Man, now I see why you used that, Master, it's hard to think of something a kid would understand. Anyways, pick one.”

 

Riku rushed over to the sword, grabbing it and swinging it in an X. Cool! 

 

“You sure you want that?” Ruby said, voice sounding a bit worried.

 

“Yep!” Riku said, continuing to swing the sword.

 

“Alright,” Ruby said, “now you need to choose one to give up-”

 

“Staff,” Riku said, cutting Ruby off.

 

“Are you sure?” Ruby said, “Don't you want to be-?”

 

“No,” Riku said, “Magic isn't as cool.”

 

“I feel like I should be offended by that.”

 

“Why? Did you choose the staff?” Riku asked.

 

“I chose the sword,” Ruby said, “but I gave up the shield.”

 

“Ok…” Riku shrugged. 

 

“So, you want to-”

 

“Give up the staff,” Riku said.

 

“Ok, then,” Ruby said, sighing as the staff disappeared, “you can, uh, head up to the next station, when the stairs form-”

 

Before Riku could ask what that meant, a staircase appeared in a tinkling of glass, letting Riku rush up them, taking a second to look back at the picture of him on the glass before looking back to the next ‘station’. What was next-?

 

At the top of the stairs, staring down at him was a twitching thing looking small shadow with three fingers and a round head with antennas and yellow eyes, “Hi there!”

 

The thing didn't say anything, twitching at him, before it jumped at him, swinging its sharp fingers at him, “Ah! Ruby!”

 

Ruby didn't answer.

 

“Ruby!?”

 

“She's a bit busy, kid,” the voice of the man who gave him Chirithy called, “use your new sword on them, K?”

 

Riku grabbed the sword, getting ready to fight the things. What was Ruby busy with?

 

\--- X  **Ruby** X---

 

“You can, uh,” Ruby started as she stared down at Riku. What was next? “You can head up to the next station, when the stairs for-”

 

The words died in her throat as it dawned on her. After this, came the Grimm…

 

No, no, nononono! Ruby leapt to her feet, ready to dive into the water. When the Master’s hand closed around her wrist, she whirled on him, “What?”

 

“It won't help,” the Master said, climbing to his feet.

 

“It will,” Ruby snapped, yanked her hand from his grip and turning back to the water. The master planted his hand on Ruby's shoulder, stopping her again, “Let go of me!”

 

“You can't-” the Master said.

 

“Yes I can!” Ruby barked, spinning and summoning Master Defender, pointing it at the Master, “Let go of me!”

 

“Really?” The Master said, wrapping his gloved hand around Master Defender, “We're doin’ it that way, then?”

 

Before Ruby could answer, the Master drove his knee into her gut, sending her flying away from the water's edge and smashing onto the throne. Growling, Ruby pushed herself up, pointing a finger at the Master, “Firaga!”

 

A blast of flames jumped from Ruby's hand, rolling from across the ship. Reaching up, Ruby hid a whimper as it dawned on her that she didn't have her Wayfinder. No D-Links for this fight.

 

“Is that the best you've got?” the Master laughed, raising his voice to be heard over the loud hissing as the fire hit the water, “I'm disappointed, Luxu-”

 

“Firaga! Firaga! FIRAGA!” Ruby snapped, flames jumping from her hand as the ship lit up. The Master just laughed, each blast being deflected with ease. That…

 

Ruby gripped the throne’s armrests, willing the entire ship to tilt and rise up. The Master fell towards the boiling sea as the ship took off, flying around him as he landed on the water. Ruby closed one eye, the cannon on the front of the ship firing a series of blasts at the Master. The water warped as each shot struck it, disrupting the glass like calm that let the Master stand on it.

 

Perf-

 

“Whatcha shooting at?” Ruby span in place as the Master breathed in her ear, swinging Master Defender for him, only for it to be blocked by a glowing keyblade. The Master latched his hand around her face, dragging her off the throne, sending the ship plummeting, and to the edge.

 

A stinging formed around Ruby's back as they smashed into the water, the tension breaking as the Master submerged her entirely, forcing her take an involuntary gasp for air and choke on the water. Reaching up, Ruby struggled against the grip as Riku's voice came from above her.

 

“Ruby? Ruby!?”

 

“She's a bit busy, kid,” the Master said, voice completely nonchalant, “Use your new sword on them, ok?”

 

Aqua…

 

Would come home to find her dead.

 

Terra…

 

Would find out she died trying to help the kid he picked to be a Keyblade wielder. 

 

Ven…

 

Would be all alone in the Land.

 

Riku…

 

Riku was in danger! He was fighting Grimm!

 

Ruby’s eyes snapped open as she fought against the hand drowning her, summoning Master Defender to her hand as her armor formed around her. Above her, several chains wrapped around the Master, dragging him away from her so she could climb up onto the ship, coughing up water into her helmet. Dispelling it, Ruby let the water pour out of it, before reforming the helmet and charging at the Master in a Semblance fueled burst. 

 

The glowing Keyblade appeared in between them again, blocking the strike while the Master broke the chains still holding him in place. Grabbing the Keyblade, the Master deflected Ruby's next few attacks, before kicking her away again, “C'mon, Luxu. Don't you get it? You can't win, I'm-”

 

Before the Master could finish, another chain wrapped around his arm, opening him up. Ruby rushed forward, flowing past him and slashing him with Master Defender in one flowing strike. The Master sank into the throne as the sword vanished, before he stopped moving.

 

Ruby closed her eyes under the armor, before turning and diving back into the water…

 

And discovering that there was nothing under it. No Riku, no Grimm.

 

“Put it together yet?” the Master said from above her. When Ruby surfaced, glancing back into the water so she could see Riku fighting tiny Flood-like creatures, he was sitting on the throne, voice smug, “Well, did ya?”

 

“You knew this was gonna happen,” Ruby accused.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Then why didn't you just  _ remind me _ he wasn't there?”

 

“Isn't as funny,” the Master said.

 

“You were drowning me!”

 

“I knew you would get out of it.”

 

Ruby wanted to give a frustrated yell. Stupid,  _ stupid _ !

 

“Anyways,” the Master stood up, a Corridor opening behind him, “I’m not in the mood to deal with the silent treatment, even though you attacked  _ me _ , so I'll be going. Good luck with Superbia.”

 

“You son of a gun!” Ruby snapped, throwing Master Defender at him as he vanished into the portal. That absolute JERK! He had let this entire fight happen for no reason!

 

_ Love ya too, Lux.  _

 

Ruby gave into the desire to shriek, and was about to throw herself onto the throne to brood when something dawned on her. She hadn't put her Keyblade armor before heading for Destiny Islands.

 

_ I like to think I give a new meaning to the term sink or swim. _

 

Ruby didn't dignify that with a response. Partially because she wasn't sure how she had done it in the first place.

 

\--- X  **Riku** X---

 

Riku swung his new sword into the shadow thing, watching it disappear in a puff of black smoke. Above him, a few more appeared on the next ‘station’, twitching as they looked down at him. 

 

What would people in the shows do? What would  _ Ruby  _ do? He needed to beat these things.

 

Riku took a step back, before running forward, spinning around with a loud yell. Unfortunately, all that did was make him a bit dizzy as the sword flew from his hands. 

 

That wasn't fair...

 

Riku chased the sword, grabbing it and turning back to the shadows, he jumped at one. The sword slid through it, cutting it in two.

 

He hoped Ruby was at least kinda paying attention, while dealing whatever was distracting her! Riku kicked over another shadow, stabbing it.

 

If he had picked the staff, would he be throwing around fire or water right now? Thinking about it, that  _ did _ seem pretty cool. Could go back and switch the shield with the staff?

 

“Ruby?” Riku called. Maybe she wasn't busy anymore?

 

“What's… what's up, kiddo?” Ruby called, sounding like she was gasping for breath.

 

“Can I go back and switch the shield for the staff?”

 

“I don't think so, no,” Ruby said.

 

“Why?” Riku complained.

 

“It's just the way Dives are, I guess,” Ruby said. 

 

Riku gave a whimper, cutting the last shadow in two. Dang it.

 

“Alright,” Ruby said, “There should, uh, be a door or something? Do you see it?”

 

“Uh,” Riku looked around, finding the door, “Yeah!”

 

“Go through it,” Ruby said.

 

“Right!” Riku nodded, rushing through it, and blinked when nothing happened, “Huh?”

 

“What’s-?” Ruby started, “What!? Riku, behind you!”

 

Riku turned in place in time to see a giant shadow leaning over him, yelping in fear and running away, “Ruby!”

 

\--- X  **Ruby** X---

 

Ruby was on the edge of the boat, tugging at her hair, “What’s going on? He doesn't have a Keyblade yet!”

 

_ Did ya think all the Dives are the same? They're not. Some people awaken their Keyblade during the Dive, others minutes after, or days, weeks, months or, if you're a particularly unlucky sod, years. _

 

“I need to go down there.”

 

_ This again, Lux? Didn't you learn anything? It's not possible. _

 

“Yes it is!”

 

_ And how do yo-? _

 

“Because you were in  _ my  _ Dive!” Ruby snarled, rapidly growing exhausted with the Master. Riku was in danger, there wasn't time for his  _ stupid  _ games.

 

_...Fine. Yes, there is a way into someone's Dive, but even  _ **_I_ ** _ don't fuck around with it lightly. That's not its intended purpose, and using it wrong could get you- _

 

“I don't care,” Ruby said, “How?”

 

_ You don't get i- _

 

“I don't care!” Ruby snapped, fist curling around Eraqus's keyblade, “It's a Master's job to defend their apprentice until they're ready, and Riku isn't! If there's a way to protect him, even if it'd be sure to kill me, I’d still do it!”

 

_ Heh… Fine, it doesn't change much. I'll let you use it, just this once. Close your eyes, Lux _ , Ruby did so, breathing in,  _ Now imagine yourself on the brink of sleep, when you suddenly feel like you're falling. Embrace it, fall with it. _

 

“Ruby!?”

 

_ Focus on Riku as you do so, with every fiber of your being, fall towards him. It isn't called a Dive to the Heart for nothing. _

 

Ruby fell, waiting for the feeling of hitting the water that never came. Instead, the heat of Destiny Islands vanished, the noise of water crashing against her glider faded to nothing, leaving just the noise of Riku dodging the attacks from the giant shadow and his calls for her.

 

Ruby's eyes snapped open, watching the giant shadow bare its hand down on Riku. Activating her Semblance, Ruby landed on its arm, dragged Master Defender as she rushed down it, landing in front of Riku and grabbing him, moving as far away from the shadowy monster as physically possible, and put Riku onto the ground, “Are you alright?”

 

Riku nodded, eyes wide, “Yeah.”

 

“Good,” Ruby smiled down at him, carefully brushing his hair aside before flipping Master Defender around and impaling it into the ground, “Stay here, don't touch that. Reflega!”

 

The shell formed around Riku, letting Ruby turn towards the shadow and summon Crescent Rose. The shadow roared at her, bringing the arm she had slashed down on her.

 

Ruby dodged the the side in a flash of petals, swapping Crescent Rose into scythe form and channeling magic into the blade, extending it. Jumping onto the shadow's hand, Ruby charged back up it, slashing through its flesh as she aimed for the head. The shadow opened its mouth, biting for her.

 

That was the thing about these… things. They weren't smart enough to use strategy, like Vanitas, Braig or the Master. They were one step above wild animals, if that.  

 

Ruby jumped, impaling the shadow through the skull and activated her Semblance, rushing down the shadow and splitting it in two. Swinging Crescent Rose to the side as she landed, Ruby dispersed the energy around her Keyblade.

 

Turning, Ruby caught Riku's flying hug, feeling him shaking in her arms, “Hey…”

 

“That was… what was that thing?” Riku asked, tears streaking down his face, “Why'd it attack me?”

 

“It was just a nightmare,” Ruby said, “You were brave, waiting for me to get here. Now, get some rest over the next couple days. Ok?”

 

Riku nodded, shaking as Ruby hugged him.

 

\---X  **AN** X---

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Good? Bad? Meh?


	10. Chapter 10

Yang jerked awake, staring up at Blake with bleary eyes, “What?”

 

“She's back,” Blake said, jerking her thumb towards the bathroom, where a light was just barely visible. 

 

“Can you get that open?” Yang asked.

 

“Easily,” Blake slinked over to the door, a Huntsman's knife appearing in her hand with a slight flourish, the lockpick springing out so she could go begin to fiddle with the door.

 

“Why do you keep a lockpick on you?” Yang asked. Why did Blake sleep with a  _ knife _ ?

 

“Habit,” Blake said, continuing to work on it, “I used to camp out a lot before coming to Beacon, and the other tools are useful.”

 

“Yang,” Pyrrha said, voice soft as she stepped beside her partner, holding up her Scroll. On it was the Aura tracking app, showing Ruby’s down by two thirds, “What caused that?” 

 

“Dunno,” Yang said, “Blake, you-?”

 

Before she could finish, the door sprang open with a click. Blake stepped aside, wordlessly gesturing for Yang to enter.

 

The first thing Yang noticed upon entering the room was the two piles of wet clothes. The first was the familiar, if slick form of Ruby's coat, the second her soaked through pajamas. Yang reached down, carefully gathering both, noticing the grittiness on them, and dropping them in the hamper.

 

Good thing she had packed Ruby's cloak.

 

“So,” Yang started, sitting on the toilet and sending a message to Pyrrha and Blake asking for another pair of Ruby’s pajamas, “Any reason you're taking a shower at four in the morning, sis?”

 

Ruby gave a loud yelp from inside the shower, sticking her head outside of it, “Yang? What are you doing in here?”

 

“Checking on you,” Yang said, “So?”

 

“Riku went into his Dive,” Ruby said, “I needed go make sure he was alright.”

 

“And that makes you need to take a shower?” Yang drawled.

 

“I went under the water at one point,” Ruby said, “I want to get the salt off.”

 

“You're gonna have to bring me to see this place some time,” Yang grunted, reaching back into the hamper to touch the pajamas. Wet, but with some grittiness on them, “You brought Blake before you brought me!’

 

“Uh…” Ruby said, before giving the weak defence of, “She's me partner?”

 

“And I'm your sister,” Yang said, rolling her eyes, “So?”

 

“I’ll bring you later in the week,” Ruby said, “Riku wants to see Beacon this weekend too.”

 

Yang snorted, “You realize you've become a glorified babysitter, right?”

 

“He needs a bit longer before I start training him,” Ruby said, grabbing a sponge and a bottle of soap.

 

“He needs more than that,” Yang said.

 

“What does that mean?” Ruby asked.

 

“He's what, six?”

 

“Five,” Ruby said, absentmindedly, as she scrubbed the salt from her skin.

 

“Point is, he isn't ready to start training,” Yang said.

 

“Aqua thought he was.”

 

Yang closed her eyes, not even bothering to resist the urge to rub her temples. Ruby's opinion of Aqua was  _ too  _ high sometimes, something Yang suspected boiled down to a old fashioned crush Ruby had been harboring on the older girl for years.

 

She was gonna need to do  _ something  _ about that. Maybe set Ruby up on a date or something, “He's a little kid, Ruby. He's not ready to begin training.”

 

“But Aqua-”

 

“She wanted you to take him under your wing, yeah, but that doesn't mean he needs to learn how to swing a sword around yet, Rubes. He's a kid. Act like a babysitter for a bit, show him around Vale, take him for ice cream or something. He's gonna get a Keyblade either way, so you're gonna have a long time to train him. Just relax.”

 

“...You really think that'd work?” Ruby asked, voice cracked.

 

“Yeah,” Yang said, planting a hand on Ruby's shoulder, “You're fifteen, Ruby. It sucks that Eraqus is dead, Ven's in a coma and Terra's MIA on some backwater world, but that doesn't mean you should just throw away your own teen years. Ok?”

 

“Ok,” Ruby nodded, “Thanks, Yang.”

 

“Hey, what are big sisters for?” Yang grinned, “I'm gonna get your PJs.”

 

\--- X  **Jaune** X---

 

Jaune's eyes opened slowly at the ringing of his his alarm, before he closed them. It could wait a bit longe-

 

“Alright,” Weiss said, planting her feet on the ground, “time to wake up. We need to have a team meeting.”

 

“Do we have to?” Jaune whined.

 

“Yes,” Weiss said, voice broking no argument as she marched over to his bed, dragging him into a sitting position before she grabbed her uniform, “Nora and I are going to change, you and Lie have ten minut-”

 

“Ren,” Ren said, sitting up and sweeping his hand through his hair, breaking up several knots in it with that one move.

 

“What?” Weiss said.

 

“Call me Ren,” he said, “Everyone does.”

 

“Ren, then,” Weiss said, reaching out to touch Nora, who sprang out of bed with a wide grin, stretching. 

 

“ _ Good morning _ ~!” Nora trilled, waving to Ren and Jaune, “What's up, Weiss-y?”

 

“Don't call me Weiss-y,” Weiss snapped, grabbing her uniform and stalking into the bathroom with Nora.

 

“What's got her in such a bad mood?” Jaune asked Ren, who shrugged.

 

“I don't know,” Ren said, pulling out his uniform and beginning to change, “I barely saw her after classes yesterday.”

 

“Same,” Jaune said, grabbing his uniform too. That was the first thing he hadn't expected about Beacon. The uniforms. They were stiff, the pants rubbed his legs the wrong way when he walked, the sleeves of his shirt did the same to his arms, the tie was tight, and the entire thing was just  _ hot _ .

 

The last two was a bit familiar from Saphron and Terra's wedding. That tuxedo had been, if anything, worse. 

 

Jaune crinkled his toes within the dress shoes, tying the thin laces. They also weren't comfortable, but in the same way  _ any _ pair of new shoes were. He just didn't get why they had to wear this stuff! Weren't they supposed to be learning to fight? How did stiff uniforms help with that?

 

Finally, Weiss and Nora came out of the bathroom. Weiss sat at the desk, legs crossed, as she stared at Jaune. Jaune laughed  nervously, “What's up, Snow Ang-”

 

“Don’t,” Weiss cut Jaune off, “Call me that… you're not supposed to be here, are you?”

 

Jaune felt his heart stop, the smile freezing on his face, before he gave an uncomfortable laugh, “I don't know what you mean!”

 

“Yeah!” Nora said, latching her arm around Jaune's neck and dragging him into a headlock, apparently blissfully unaware of how she was choking him, “Jaune-y might not have done as much as some others during initiation, but he-”

 

“Doesn't have his Aura unlocked,” Weiss snapped.

 

Jaune wanted to point out that he didn't even know what Aura  _ was _ , or why it was important, but the part of him that wasn't preoccupied with Nora unintentionally killing him pointed out that that would probably just support Weiss's point. Was it that big, that not having his Aura was enough to give away him faking his transcripts? He knew his classmates were able to do weird stuff, like pin him to a tree from far away (he still had the bruises from that), create thick walls of ice and shatter those walls, but he didn't think he would miss that much.

 

“So?” Nora asked, “maybe that just means he's super powerful without it! You know, like that character on shows who can't  _ have _ Aura, and just train to be as strong as people who do, and then become  _ mega strong _ when they finally unlock it!? That's so c-!”

 

“Nora, let go of him,” Ren said, staring at his Scroll.

 

Jaune gasped for air the moment Nora let go of him, coughing as his throat burned. Owwwwwwww…

 

“If you snuck in,” Weiss huffed to Jaune, as she stormed out of the room, “You should just admit it. You're endangering people by being here, and you could get in trouble for it.”

 

Then she slammed the door shut, leaving the other three members staring at it, before Nora stuck her tongue out at the door, “Well, she's a jerk!”

 

Ren didn't say anything, just staring at Jaune.

 

\--- X  **Blake** X---

 

Blake watched Ruby grab various food from around the cafeteria with a careful eye. Yesterday, she hadn't really paid attention to it, but what someone ate could tell a lot about someone.

 

Pyrrha, for example, had grabbed another slice of fish, with a side of Mistralan yogurt mixed with nuts and blueberries, a meal clearly meant to give her energy, while also not adding weight. Meanwhile, Yang grabbed a steak, eggs, and some toast.

 

Ruby on the other hand, went right for the sugar, if not in the way in the way Blake expected. She bypassed the Pumpkin Pete's completely (Pyrrha actually stopped to briefly and ‘subtly’ flip the box around so it wasn't facing Team RNBY’s spot), instead grabbing grits, which she then proceeded to pour a truly baffling amount of honey on, a scone, which she did the same to, a side of strawberries, and hot chocolate before sitting down next to Yang.

 

“That can't be healthy,” Pyrrha said as Ruby practically inhaled the hot chocolate.

 

“Ruby burns a lot of energy,” Yang said, “Like, a  _ lot _ of energy.”

 

“Plus, I'm tired,” Ruby said as she grabbed her spoon and beginning to tear into the grits.

 

“Where'd you even go?” Blake asked.

 

“Destiny Islands,” Ruby said, standing up to grab more hot chocolate. The student sitting next to it rolled their eyes and handed the pot to Ruby, who snagged it and walked back over to their seat, pouring more into her mug and continuing to drink it, “I got a call Riku needed me.”

 

Well, at least that put a name to the location, it might be easier to find it on a map that way. But still… “And you woke up and went? You're not his mother, Ruby.”

 

Right? Please agree,  _ please _ . Ruby, in spite of the breakdowns, seemed fairly childish. The other option was…disgusting.

 

“Yeah,” Ruby agreed, downing more hot chocolate, “but he's my apprentice, it's my job to take care of him.” 

 

“But he has-”

 

“Don't,” Yang said with a sigh and shake of her head, “I already talked to her about it.”

 

The room was suddenly filled with the noise of hundreds of chirps at various volumes. Blake closer her eyes, screwing them up under her eyelids as her ears flattened and she gouged her fingers into the table. Owww…

 

Loud noises had always made Blake uncomfortable, she had long lost count of the amount of times she had been driven to tears during storm season in Menagerie as a kid, but over the years, she had mostly learned to live with it. Now, it was only unexpected cacophonies, like the one that had just echoed across Beacon’s cafeteria, that set her off.

 

Blake's eyes sprang open as a hand gently touched hers, grabbing it and crushing it on instinct. If Ruby was fazed by her partner doing her best to break the hand, however, she didn't show it, “Are you alright?” Ruby asked, voice soft.

 

“Yeah,” Blake said, voice horse. No, no she wasn't, “What was that?”

 

“Schedules,” Pyrrha said, holding up her Scroll.

 

“That explains why they all went off at once,” Blake said, shaking her head in an attempt to get rid of the ringing, “What's first?”

 

“Survival,” Pyrrha said, diligently, “With Professor Peach.”

 

\--- X  **Weiss** X---

 

Weiss sat, legs crossed, at one of the cafes in the small town built to accommodate the students of Beacon, staring at news reports on her Scroll with blank eyes as she ate her breakfast. Super powerful without Aura,  _ ridiculous _ .

 

Weiss sighed as her Scroll's ringtone went off, Ren's name and face appearing in front of her eyes. Weiss hit the button, bringing it to her ear, “What?”

 

“Classes start soon,” Ren said, voice soft.

 

“I know,” Weiss snapped, “I'll be th-”

 

“Don't,” Ren cut her off, “hang up on me yet. I want to talk to you.”

 

“About Jaune?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What? Going to reprem-”

 

“I'm not saying that you're wrong about him sneaking in,” Ren said, “and I'm not saying that you were wrong for reporting it, because I’m sure you did, but you need to think about how you're going about this.”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“It means, that we've been on a team for a day now, and this is the first real conversation we had. You didn't even know I don't like using my first name, despite the fact that Jaune  _ di _ know that. You weren't around at all yesterday, despite being our leader.”

 

“I was dealing with a probl-!”

 

“And do you think that's where your job ends?” 

 

“What?”

 

“Weiss,” Ren said, “You're not in charge of a company like the SDC here, you're our team leader. We're going to need to fight together. We need to practice together.”

 

“But Jaune-”

 

“Is one fourth of the the team,” Ren said, “but even if he is removed, you, Nora and I will still be here. Unless you're planning to find a way to get rid of us too…”

 

Weiss recoiled from the Scroll, jaw dropping open. How dare he…! “Of course not!”

 

“Then we need to train together,” Ren said, “We need to get to know each other. Have you told anyone about Jaune?”

 

“Yes, Professor Goodwitch-”

 

“Then trust her to deal with it from here on,” Ren said, “and let's focus on working as a team for now.”

 

“But if I unlock Jaune's Aura, the eviden-”

 

“Then put him on the bench for now,” Ren sighed, “and focus on those of us who are sure to be here when the dust clears. I'll see you in class, right?”

 

“Right.”

 

“Good,” Ren said, “I’ll see you soon, then.”

 

\---- X  **Pyrrha** X---

 

Pyrrha breathed in as they continued the march out of Beacon, smiling at the crisp smell of the sea to their left. It reminded her of home.

 

“I don't get why we can't use Bumblebee,” Yang complained, arms behind her head.

 

“Bumblebee?” Pyrrha questioned.

 

“Her motorcycle,” Ruby supplied, “You won't always be able to use her, Yang.”

 

“Like you're one to talk, Miss Teleporter,” Yang said, elbowing her sister, “I mean, you're practically cheating, being able to summon Crescent Rose to you, not being slowed down by it!”

 

“Ember Celica aren't even that heavy, Yang,” Ruby said, rolling her eyes.

 

“Yeah, but how do you think Blake and Pyrrha feel?”

 

“Leave me out of this,” Blake said without missing a beat, or even looking up from the book she was reading.

 

“I'm used to Miló and Akoúo̱,” Pyrrha said.

 

“Bah!” Yang crossed her arms with a huff, “ruin my fun, why don't you?”

 

“Hey, Blake?” Ruby said.

 

“What?” Blake asked, sounding exasperated as she looked up.

 

“What's your sword called?”

 

“You… want to know my sword's name?” Blake blinked.

 

“Yeah!” Ruby grinned, an explosion of fire that was  _ slowly _ becoming familiar appeared in her hand, fading to reveal her sword, “this is Crescent Rose! She's my baby!”

 

Pyrrha bit the inside of her cheek, trying to avoid laughing at the bewildered look on Blake's face before a flash of purplish light appeared in Ruby's other hand, revealing the other sword, “And this is Master Defender!”

 

“...Gambol Shroud,” Blake said.

 

“Gamble Shroud?” Ruby said, eyebrows scrunching up as she let Master Defender vanish, continuing to hold Crescent Rose (a name that wasn't very fitting, in Pyrrha's opinion, as there was a lack of curves on anything but the guard).

 

“Gambol,” Blake stressed.

 

“What's that mean?”

 

“It means to run, jump… uh…”

 

“Oh, like a ninja?” Ruby said.

 

“Yeah, I guess-”

 

“Sweet!” Ruby smiled, eyes twinkling, “I always thought ninjas were  _ super cool  _ when I was younger!”

 

“Thanks,” Blake said, “Now I'm going to go back to readi-”

 

“Hey! Heeeey!” Pyrrha turned at Jaune's voice, watching him jog towards them as Blake gave an exasperated sigh, “Do you guys know where class is?”

 

“Yes,” Pyrrha said, “Where's your Team?”

 

“I… uh…” Jaune gave a nervous laugh, “dunno. Weiss stormed off this morning, and Nora and Ren went out to get something to eat. Mind if I tag along with you girls, until we get there?”

 

“I guess,” Ruby said.

 

\---X  **AN** X---

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole Jaune thing is gonna put my teetotaling to the test. This might be the last chapter of Fears for a bit, because I can not, for the life of me, find any justification for Ozpin keeping Jaune around for any amount of time that doesn't involve him being willing to outright danger people for one kid's dream. And believe me I've deleted multiple arguments between Glynda and him on the matter during the writing of this chapter because every last one had him come across as disgustingly callous.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, going back to the Vault of the Spring Maiden, it is never said that Gretchen was a case of Ruby. We're just told that she enrolled at Beacon against Hazel's wishes, and died on a training mission. Hazel says she was too young, but considering that Hazel clearly had problems with her being there to begin with, he's not exactly an unbiased source


	11. Chapter 11

  
  
\--- X  **Blake** X---   
  
Blake hid her face in the book, trying to keep the sad smile off it. She remembered when she had held an idealistic view about ninjas. The ninjas of her books, heroes of the downtrodden and oppressed.   
  
It had taken a long time for her to realize that ‘ninja’ was really just a nice term for ‘assassin’. That there was, on paper, nothing that really divided her from the members of the White Fang who had fully embraced extremism in Atlas other than her own morals.    
  
Blake watched Ruby talk with Yang and Pyrrha, occasionally leaning back to ignore the animated and oblivious swing of Crescent Rose. Outside of Adam and Ilia, nobody had really spoken to her in the Fang. They had either been intimidated by Adam, or worried about being seen with Ghira Belladonna’s daughter.   
  
Her father and the Fang had a… rocky relationship. He had never fully approved of their turn, and they, in turn, had come to view him as too soft hearted for it. Most members of the Fang had been kind enough to not say that to her  _ face,  _ but many of them failed to account for her  _ ears _ .   
  
And as time had gone on, more people had been willing to express those beliefs in more than whispers. They were more willing to tell her those things to her face.   
  
“Hey, Blake?” Ruby said.   
  
“What?” Blake asked with a sigh, looking up and snapping her book shut.   
  
“Are you alright?” Ruby asked, head tilted to the side.   
  
“Yeah,” Blake answered quickly, busying herself with putting her book in her backpack, “Why?”   
  
“Your bo-” Ruby cut herself off, “Nothing.”   
  
“...How far can your corridors go?” Blake asked.   
  
“Uh… super far?” Ruby said, wide, silver eyes blinking up at Blake, “Why?”   
  
“Just curious,” Blake said, “How far is Destiny Islands? It was pretty hot there.”   
  
“Super far,” Ruby repeated.   
  
“Destiny Islands?” the blond young man asked, but Blake ignored him.   
  
“How far is super far?” Blake asked.   
  
“I don't know how far exactly,” Ruby said, “just that it's nowhere near here.”   
  
“Ok,” Blake said, running a hand through her hair, freezing up as she bumped into her bow, “I'm thinking about taking you up on that offer in a month.”   
  
“Off-? OH!”   
  
“What offer?” Yang said, leaning forward so she was between them, purple eyes jumping between Ruby and Blake.   
  
“To see my parents,” Blake said. She'd send a letter first, then-   
  
“Going to meet the family so soon?” Yang said, leering at them, patting Ruby on the head, “Can't wait to tell dad about that!”   
  
“Really?” Blake deadpanned, rolling her eyes at her partner's sister.    
  
“Uh… What?” Ruby asked.   
  
“Don't worry about it,” Blake said.   
  
“Are you guys ignoring me?” the boy said, inserting him back into the conversation.   
  
“Yes,” Blake said, cutting him off. Who was this guy?   
  
\--- X  **Jaune** X---   
  
Jaune followed the team of girls through the forest, wilting as they, minus Pyrrha, continued to ignore him. He didn't get it, Dad had always said girls liked confidence! Instead, every time he tried to join the conversation, the black haired girl just gave him a withering look until he gave up.   
  
“I'm sorry about Blake,” Pyrrha said, trailing behind her team to talk to him, “She's not very social.”   
  
“She seems fine talking to… her,” Jaune finished weakly, pointing at the brunette chatting happily to Blake as it dawned on him that he didn't know her name.   
  
“Ruby is Blake's partner,” Pyrrha said, “It's their job to get along.”   
  
“Yeah,” Jaune said, sagging as that only made him think of how badly his partner was getting along with him, “Yeah…”   
  
“Is something wrong?” Pyrrha asked, green eyes sparkling with worry.   
  
“I've been having some trouble with Weiss,” Jaune said with a laugh, scratching the back of his neck. Smooth understatement. He could be at risk of getting thrown out!   
  
“I'm sure it isn't that bad…” Pyrrha said.   
  
She didn't know the half of it. And he couldn't tell her without risking getting in more trouble. He might be able to convince his team he belonged, but if he told more people he didn't know what Aura was, he was screwed…   
  
He hadn't expected it to be this hard, when he decided he wanted to go to Beacon. He hadn't expected to almost die multiple times during Initiation, for them to be expected to fight Grimm right out of the gate. He hadn't-   
  
Jaune jumped as the barrel of a gun pressed against the back of his head, the same happening to Pyrrha, a voice whispering in their ears, “You're both dead.”   
  
“What-?” before Jaune could finish, Pyrrha span, shoving him aside and grabbing the woman by the extended arm, throwing her above the other three girls and drawing her gun and shield off her back as her team immediately grabbed their own weapons.   
  
“Who are you?” Pyrrha demanded, gun braced against her shield.   
  
“Well done,” the woman said, staggering upright and dusting off the cotton long coat she was wearing, “You immediately responded to my presence, Miss Nikos. Most people would be lock up-”   
  
“Who are you?” Ruby added, a gun aimed at the strawberry blonde.   
  
“You can put your weapons down,” she said, reaching down to pick up the pair of revolvers, and sighing as the entire team seemed to bristle, “I'm Professor Peach, your Survival teacher. And that is beyond just teaching you what is safe to eat, or how to build tents. Grimm will take advantage of a lack of attention to attack, Bandits with Semblances that allow for the manipulation of the senses, such as mine, will do the same. You four reacted with fine speed for a team just formed, but you… Mr…?   
  
“Uh, Arc?”   
  
“Where is your team?”    
  
“I don't know-” Jaune started   
  
“And so you are dead,” she said, storing her guns in holsters on the front of her coat, “a man without his team can be picked off. Bandits are going to know their territory better than you, will likely trap it, and will assuredly have reinforcements. Your team is your blood, without them, you die.”    
  
“Uh…” Jaune said, what was that supposed to mean?   
  
“I'll explain more when the rest of the class arrives,” Peach said, striding towards a tree, “Do me a favor, and don't inform them I'm here…”   
  
She passed between two trees, vanishing as she did.   
  
\--- X  **Glynda** X---   
  
Glynda stepped into Ozpin's office with a sigh, meeting her boss's gaze, “Miss Schnee came to me after I left last night. She also suspects Mister Arc of faking his way into Beacon.”   
  
“She does, does she?” Ozpin said, eyes focused on something on his screen.   
  
“Yes. I've sent a request to Umbra for his transcripts, and plan to call his family.”   
  
“Interesting,” the headmaster said, eyes not leaving the screen.   
  
“Are you even paying attention to what I'm saying?” Glynda demanded.   
  
“I'm sorry, Glynda,” Ozpin looked up from the screen, shadows under his eyes, “I was focused on something else. What were you saying?”   
  
“Miss Schnee expressed worry about Mister Arc, I sent a request to Umbra, and plan to call his family. What's wrong?”   
  
“I'm worried about what will happen if Queen or her Pawns finds out about Miss Rose's existence,” Ozpin sighed, “and I wonder if inviting her to Beacon was the correct option.”   
  
“...What?”   
  
“If I hadn't, I suspect Miss Rose would have left Remnant to find an apprentice,” Ozpin said, “She would be safe from any attempts to steal the Keyblade, or assassinate her. As it stands, the Maidens are the only source of magic outside of the Keyblade. That is why I must make a difficult request for you, Glynda.”   
  
“What?”   
  
“Beyond the people who already know, that is, Qrow, you and I, the existence of the keyblade must not be revealed. Not to James, not to Leonardo, and not to Sauda. Nobody.”   
  
“I understand,” Glynda nodded.   
  
“Thank you,” Ozpin smiled, “and thank you for calling the Arc family. We don't want people poking around while we deal with Amber.”   
  
“Of course.”   
  
\---X  **Roman** X----   
  
Roman lay in the bed for the third day in a row, staring up at the ceiling, seething. Crippled.  _ Crippled _ . That little bitch had ruined him. Nobody would hire a cri-   
  
“Roman,” Roman's head snapped to the side, watching Cinder stride into the room in a nurse's scrubs.   
  
“What are you doing here?” Roman growled. This was just as much Cinder's fault as it was Red’s. He never would have walked into that shop in Cinder wasn't demanding an ever growing supply of Dust.   
  
“I came to see why you hadn't escaped yet,” Cinder said, shutting the door and locking it with a click, “You've had enough time.”   
  
Had enough time his ass. Even if he was capable of moving his goddamn legs, it would have taken more than three days, “Screw off.”   
  
“Roman,” Cinder said, reaching down to force him to look at her, “Why haven't you escaped?”   
  
“Because you're stupid Dust fetish got me crippled,” Roman spat, taking a spike of petty satisfaction as Cinder wiping her face  “The crash broke my spine.”   
  
“I see…” Cinder said, reaching down to pick up the clipboard on Roman’s bed, “And have you told anyone an-?”   
  
“No,” Roman spat again, arm slowly inching towards the button to call an actual nurse, “ _ No _ . Fuck that! I know how that ends. I already lost everything because of you, I’m not giving up my life for you too!”   
  
“Shhh,” Cinder said, walking over to Roman and staring down at him with her amber eyes, “You're still useful to me, Roman. Do you have any allies I could use? Ones who might want revenge for what happened to you?”   
  
Roman narrowed his eyes, wrapping his hand around the remote, “Yeah. One, my partner, Neo.”   
  
“Good,” Cinder's hand brushed along Roman's neck. Did she actually think he was that dumb? “You did well, and your sacrifice-”   
  
Roman tried to hit the button, only for Cinder to bat cut out of his hand, using his other hand to throw himself off the bed, and began to crawl away from Cinder. Come on, come o-   
  
Before he could get more than a handful of inches, however, Cinder kicked him over, planting one hand over his mouth and nose as sand swirled around her off hand, forming a dagger, “it isn't anything personal, Roman, but I can't risk you giving away my plans. You'd do the same if our positions were reversed, I know it.”   
  
Roman bit Cinder's hand as hard as he could, taking satisfaction in the taste of blood as he he glared at her. Fucking bit-   
  
The dagger stabbed him in the throat, blood pouring down his chest as the blade cracked and disintegrated. Roman glared up at her as things began to blur, feeling his strength fade.    
  
\--- X  _ Ruby  _ X---   
  
_ Ruby stepped into the arena, clutching Crescent Rose as the people cheered. Ruby gave a shy wave to the crowd, while across from her Zack Fair did the same with much more bombastic excitement, bouncing around his half of the arena, grinning up at some of the girls. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Alright, Alright, Alright!” Philoctetes stepped into the arena, voice somehow echoing throughout the collision “It's Time For The Finals Of The Junior Hero Cup! I Want A Good, Clean Match! No biting, no eye gouging, first to submit loses!” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Right,” Ruby said, nodding. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Remember,” Zack said, grinning at Ruby and holding out his hand, “no matter who wins, no hard feelings.” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Yeah,” Ruby took his hand, smiling at him, “and you remember, when I beat you, you're gonna tell me what's up with my friends!” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Ready!” Phil started, not even waiting for them to let go of each other, “Set! GO!” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Ruby and Zack immediately leapt back from each other, Ruby swinging Crescent Rose up at the same time Zack swung his sword down. Red-black and blue-white blasts of energy sang across the gap, Ruby's distorting space as it went. Once they impacted each other, a rippling distortion blasted across the arena, forcing Ruby to take a staggering step back. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Ruby watched Zack leap into the air, spinning Crescent Rose as the black haired boy dropped, sword held in a massive overhead swing. The bastard sword smashed into the flat of Crescent Rose with the ringing sound of metal on metal, dulling out the roar of the crowd for a second. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Curling her hand into a claw, Ruby ignited a ball of fire in it, swinging for Zack, who dove back, sailing high into the air. Zack wound up his sword like a bat, a swirl of magic forming in front of him and he smashed it towards Ruby. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Eyes widening, Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose with both hands, sending another sweeping blast of spatial magic sailing towards the meteorite. At the same time, Zack landed, embedding his sword in the ground, and dove back in, driving his fists into Ruby's side in a flurry of punches. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Ruby winced, feeling her Aura protest. That was gonna hurt in the morning, but for now… _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Ruby drove her steel toed boot into Zack's chin, snapping his mouth shut with a heavy thud. Spinning in place, Ruby used the momentum to drive another kick into Zack's chest, sending the other contestant flying back into his sword as loud boos and cheers echoed around the area, each predominantly one gender. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Ooohh,” Phil’s voice echoed across the arena, “He Might Not Be A Pretty Boy Anymore. Kid, You Alri-?” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Yeah,” Zack stood using his sword as a cane, clutching his cheek with a wince, “Holy crap, Ruby, those kicks pack a punch.” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “So do, uh, so do your punches,” Ruby said. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “Thanks,” Zack grinned at her, “Time to crank it up a notch!” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ In a blur of motion too fast for the untrained eye to see, Zack drew his sword from the ground. Luckily, Ruby's Semblance let her follow the attack. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ It started with an pair of X shaped slashes, the air visibly distorting in front of Zack as he rushed forward, barely giving Ruby time to throw up a reflect spell to barely block them. The next attack, a lunging step that saw him vanish in a burst of energy and appeared within Ruby's guard, halted against her Aura. Before Ruby could retaliate, Zack vanished again, appearing behind her and slammed his sword into her back, launching her in the air.  _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Ruby shifted her Keyblade into Scythe form, activating Blade Charge, looping it around Zack and gritting her teeth, Ruby hurled him straight down. Zack smashed into the ground with a heavy crash, Ruby shifted Crescent Rose back to a sword and put it against Zack's neck, “I win.” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ Zack grinned up at her, before tapping his hand against the ground, “Yeah, she wins, I submit.” _ _   
_ _   
_ _ “You Heard Him!” Phil said with a laugh, grabbing Ruby's hand and doing his best to lift it up, “Five Words, Ruby Rose Is Our Junior Hero!” _   
  
\---X  **Glynda** X---   
  
Glynda did her best to stifle yet another sigh, reaching up to rub her temples as she waited for the first class to arrive. Was it really only the second day of classes?    
  
In the years Glynda had been a teacher, she had never faced a first week this stressful. Even ignoring Amber on life support below them, even ignoring  _ Ruby _ , it was worrying. They had the daughter of the SDC head, a well known celebrity, Raven's daughter and a potential criminal all here. Glynda couldn't even begin trying to reach out to the Arcs until classes were done…   
  
Pulling up Jaune's schedule, Glynda froze in place as she realized Jaune Arc, a ‘student’ without his Aura unlocked, was currently heading toward Survival class. There were Grimm in the forest used for that class…   
  
Grabbing her Scroll, Glynda hammered the button to call Gwen, resisting the urge to swear under her breath. Did Jaune Arc think they looked for people who already knew how to fight for fun!? They could be in a world of trouble if he died while they were looking into it, they could be in trouble just for letting him successfully enter using falsified records. They were supposed to be the most highly trained teachers in the Kingdom, a untrained civilian entering Beacon without them catching it would make everyone bad.   
  
Ozpin, Glynda, Bartholomew, Peter and Gwen could be placed on probation for it. If Jaune had somehow, miraculously, survived through all four years, his license would have likely been revoked if it ever came to light, and it would have almost assuredly gone to court. It could  _ still  _ go to court. If he forged the transcripts, he had faked connection to a school that, while not as prestigious as Beacon, or even Signal, wouldn't want their name going through the mud alongside him.   
  
“What is it, Glynda?” Gwen's voice came across, “I'm in the middle of my test.”   
  
Glynda rolled her eyes, hiding the exasperated sigh. Gwendolyn Peach was… stange. The loss of her entire team to a group of unusually well trained bandits years before had, in Glynda's opinion, unhinged the Huntress in a way she never recovered from.    
  
“Jaune Arc,” Glynda started.   
  
“What about him?” Gwen said a loud bang echoing from her side of the call.    
  
“Who did you just shoot?!” Glynda snapped, heart hammering in her throat.   
  
“Ginger, pompadour,” Peach said, voice crisp, “blue eyes.”   
  
Cardin Winchester.   
  
“Can you not fire on our students?” Glynda asked, teeth gritted. She was going to bring up firing Gwen to Ozpin, she was a liability waiting to happen.   
  
“Bandits won't-”   
  
“This is their first day with you!”   
  
“All the better reason to do it, they won't recognize me yet.”   
  
“Just don't fire on Jaune, understand? We're doing an investigation, we don't need a lawsuit-”   
  
“He's not trained, is he?” Gwen said, cutting Glynda off.   
  
“How-?”   
  
“He's here, therefore he wouldn't he able to file a suit against us for injuries because of the clauses in the contract,” Gwen said without missing a beat, “unless something negates the whole contract…”   
  
“Yes.”   
  
“Very well,” Gwen said, “Who knows?”   
  
“His partner suspects something-”   
  
“Understood,” Gwen hung up suddenly.   
  
Son of a-.   
  
\---X  **AN** X---   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today on the what got chopped, Qrow monologing at Amber's comatose form about how he feels bad for not doing his actual job (and therefore restricting what kids can do at Signal), how it seems to clash with not only his responsibilities as a member of the Ozluminati, but also wondering if Amber herself would approve of him focusing on Cinder over making sure the next generation was good and ready.
> 
> Thought? Good? Bad? Meh?


	12. Chapter 12

Qrow stepped into the elevator, tapping his Scroll against the sensor. Pressing his head against the wall, the teacher tried to avoid thinking about… well, anything. This whole thing made what had been a relatively simple…  _ thing _ painful.

  
  


“Hey, Ambs,” Qrow said, walking into the vault beneath Beacon with his hands in his pockets, “got a question for you.”

  
  


Amber, unsurprisingly, didn't respond. Didn't say a word, didn't move, didn't even open her eyes in Jimmy's fancy machine. Qrow didn't blink, continuing to monologue at the comatose Maiden.

  
  


“I feel like I’m getting ripped in two about some stuff,” Qrow said, “You know how you always said it was great that I was a teacher? Well, I haven't been a good one, recently…”

  
  


Qrow picked up the staff resting against the wall, twirling it. A swirl of wind wafting off the staff, before igniting in an explosion of fire from the other Dust crystal. Simple, but effective.

  
  


That's what they had thought, when he helped her make it. It let her use some of her powers without giving away her status…

  
  


What if they had done something different? Lightning Dust in the place of fire? Made it a sansetsukon? Would that have helped?

  
  


Qrow's hand strayed to his breast pocket, brushing over the metal of his flask, before forcing it out, rings digging into the palm of his hand as he continued to stare at the staff. The niggling question that always appeared when something like this happened reared its head.

  
  


Was this  _ his _ fault? If he had been quicker, could this all have been avoided? Could he have helped her fight off the assailants?

  
  


Or was this yet another case of him failing the balancing act of his Semblance? Had he gotten too close to Amber, stayed around her for too long, like with Summer?

  
  


Qrow’s eyes flitted open as he realized he had sunk against the machine. Who was next? Tai? Yang? Ruby?

  
  


What if he had already screwed Ruby over? If everything that happened with Eraqus was because she had a cursed freak for an uncle?

  
  


Qrow grabbed his flask, unscrewing it and downing a loud gulp.

  
  


“She wouldn't approve of you drinking this close to her,” Qrow’s eyes jumped to the elevator holding his boss.

  
  


“She'd forgive me,” Qrow said, taking another swig.

  
  


“No, I don't think she would,” Ozpin said, stopping in front of Qrow.

  
  


“Did you come all the way down here to talk to me about my drinking?”

  
  


“No,” Ozpin said, “I came down here because I saw a friend in need of help. Amber wouldn't want to see you like this, Qrow.”

  
  


“It's my fault she's like-”

  
  


“No, it isn't,” Ozpin said, reaching down and helping Qrow to his feet, “It's Salem's fault, Qrow. Mine too, because I failed to see it coming. You, however, arrived in time to interrupt the attack on her. It's because of you that Amber is  _ alive _ . In danger, if we can't locate the woman who took her powers, but alive. You shouldn't be beating yourself up over it anymore than Miss Rose should be beating herself up over what happened to her friends.”

  
  


“How-?”

  
  


“Qrow,” Ozpin said with a sad smile, planting a hand on his shoulder, “I'm far, far too old to not recognize survivor's guilt. Remember, that's why I called you here, not for you to repent for imaginary sins. Ruby needs you and Tai at the moment, Amber is stable for now, take care of your family.”

  
  


“Thanks,” Qrow said, grimacing at his friend, reaching up to touch Oz's hand.

  
  


“Though I must ask,” Ozpin said, “is there any risk of Ruby's keyblade being stolen? It allows her to use powerful magic. I can show you the damage she did to the Emerald Forest if you don't believe me.”

  
  


“Nah,” Qrow shook his head, “it's not like that. I swear, the damn thing is alive or something. I was trying to pick it up yesterday, and it kept shocking me!”

  
  


“Are you sure that wasn't Miss Rose playing a prank-?”

  
  


“She sent it… wherever it goes when she not using it in tears,” Qrow said.

  
  


“So the teleportation is a property of the Keyblade itself?”

  
  


“Yeah, something about it being a manifestation of the heart, and returning to it when it's not in use,” Qrow waved a hand, before sighing, “I should probably go talk to Tai, shouldn't I?”

  
  


“Probably, yes.”

  
  


\--- X Pyrrha X---

  
  


Pyrrha watched her team leader run a Beowolf through with her halberd out of the corner of her eye, the massive blade punching through the lupine Grimm with ease, the flesh seeming to disintegrate around the blade. Ruby ducked under a second Grimm, her weapon vanishing from the one it was embedded in, only for the Grimm to drop as Blake flowed behind it, Gambol Shroud sliding into the black flesh.

  
  


Pyrrha dodged the tackle from the Beowolf in front of her, decapitating it with a single slash of Milò. Glancing around, Pyrrha’s eyes widened as she saw a Beowolf bearing down on Jaune, his shield held up but his stance weak. At best, he would be knocked over, at worse…

  
  


Pyrrha threw Akoúo̱, deflecting the strike as she lunged forward, Milo shifting to spear form and punching through the Beowolf. At the same time, Yang gave a roaring laugh, pummeling another Grimm into oblivion in a flurry of punches.

  
  


“Pyr!” Yang barked with another laugh, “Got an idea! Stick your shield up!”

  
  


Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, but did so. Yang rushed towards her, reloading her DRSG as she went. Planting her feet on Akoúo̱, Yang gave a thumbs up.

  
  


What? What was that supposed to-?

  
  


Yang hiked the thumb up… Oh!  _ Oh _ !

  
  


Pyrrha put as much force as she could into the the shield bash, sending Yang flying. In the air, the blond shadowboxed, launch a series of red flares down on five of the Grimm in a bright conflagration.

  
  


Two more Grimm vanished into a warping of space as they attempted to lunge at Pyrrha, a whimper barely audible before the sound of crushing flesh and black smoke-blood. Pyrrha glanced over, watching Ruby do the same to another two Beowolves. Her Semblance, whatever it was, was versatile… or, at least, she had learned how to exploit it for versatility.

  
  


Blake fired her gun five times, dropping the last Beowolf before taking the empty mag out, loading it with a second, “Where's the rest of the class?”

  
  


“That's… a very good question,” Pyrrha said, pulling out her Scroll. It had been… twenty minutes since they had seen the professor.

  
  


“Maybe it's an endurance test?” Ruby offered, impaling her sword into the ground and crouching next to it.

  
  


“Maybe,” Pyrrha muttered, examining the sword, meeting the blue eye embedded in the guard, “Crescent Rose is rather… unique…”

  
  


“Thanks,” Ruby said, beaming, ”she's my baby.”

  
  


“Did you make it?”

  
  


“Kinda?” Ruby tilted her head, “she was made by someone else, but with me as the person who would get her. That's why I have this, it's his symbol.”

  
  


Ruby taped the eye, creating a clinking noise.

  
  


“Does he put it on all the weapons he makes?”

  
  


“In some way,” Ruby said, playing with the chain hanging from the pommel, where a second eye in the heart of a rose sat.

  
  


\--- X Tai X---

  
  


“I'm sorry about this,” Tai apologized again, “it's a family emergen-”

  
  


“Tai,” Kent, the principal of Signal sighed, “I understand. You rarely take time off, unlike Qrow, if you're saying you need to do so this quick after the start of the year, I believe you.”

  
  


Tai cracked a small smile at the jab at Qrow's… spotty record of appearance at work, “Hopefully, Qrow will be ready to come back before too long.”

  
  


“I would hope so,” Kent said, adjusting his glasses, it's not easy getting someone anywhere near as good as him when it comes to weapon's design on short notice.”

  
  


“I can't believe I'm saying this,” Tai said, sighing, “but why don't you just fire him already? He's been trying to get you to for years.”

  
  


“Then he should hand in his papers of resignation,” Kent said, “Does he realize how hard it is to get rid of a tenured professor?”

  
  


“He's barely at work,” Tai deadpanned, “pretty sure our contact specifically calls that out as one of the things you can fire us for.”

  
  


“I'm also worried that I won't be able to find someone half as good as him,” Kent admitted, “Say what you will about Qrow, but he is almost superhuman at helping the kids find the right weapon. And that's beyond important in our line of work, Tai.”

  
  


“Yeah,” Tai said, spinning Howl around one finger, “I should have called yesterda-”

  
  


“It's fine, Tai,” Kent said, smiling and running a hand through his grey streaked hair, “I can take over for you for a couple of days. I'm not so old, I forgot how to fight.”

  
  


“Thank you, sir,” Tai said, before hanging up and stopping Howl’s spin, embedding the trench knife into the table, “You can come out now.”

  
  


“Ya want to pay for a new table?” Qrow rasped, stepping out of where he was hiding in the bathroom, “because that's how you end up paying for a new table.”

  
  


Tai cracked a small smile at his own words being twisted around, pulling the knife out of the table and storing it in his pocket next to Roar, “Wha-”

  
  


“Listen,” Qrow said, sitting down across from Tai, “Tai, man, I'm sorry about not picking up the calls. It was a dick move on my part. But-”

  
  


“Of course there's a but,” Tai said with a sigh.

  
  


“But another friend of mine was attacked by some bandits,” Qrow gritted out.

  
  


“Oh.”

  
  


“Yeah,” Qrow said, “‘oh’. If I had known you were calling about Ruby, I woulda rushed home in a heartbeat. She's all we got left of Summer.”

  
  


“Just… don't let it happen again,” Tai said, “and try to get this stuff settled, I can only cover for you so long.”

  
  


“I'll get me resignation papers ready,” Qrow agreed with a grin.

  
  


Tai gave an exasperated sigh. That wasn't what he meant or wanted. Summer would have wanted them both to have a stable source of income.

  
  


He did wonder how she would have dealt with Ruby gaining a Keyblade.

  
  


\--- X Ruby X---

  
  


_ Ruby sat on the edge of the cliff, Crescent Rose embedded in the ground next to her so the Gazing Eye could see the meteor shower above them. She wasn't really sure if the Master wanted to be able to see it, but felt it better to err on the side of caution. _

  
  


_ “Ruby!” Ruby looked over to Ven, who was jogging over to her, Wayward Wind in hand. _

  
  


_ “About time you got here!” Ruby said, smiling. _

  
  


_ “Not all of us have super speed,”  Ven said, sitting down next to Ruby and dispelling Wayward Wind, “Aqua and Terra aren't here, yet?” _

  
  


_ “No,” Ruby said  “I stopped by Aqua’s room, but she said she had something she needed to wrap up before she got down here.” _

  
  


_ “Huh,” Ven said, looking up, “Wonder what…” _

  
  


_ “Last minute practice, maybe?” Ruby said, kicking her feet, “it is their Mark of Mastery Exam tomorrow.” _

  
  


_ “Which is why they should be  _ **_here_ ** _!” Ven whined, “This could be the last chance we get to see a shower like this!” _

  
  


_ “I'm sure they'll get here in time,” Ruby said, watching the meteors flash through the sky. _

  
  


_ “But what if they do-?” _

  
  


_ “Calm down, Ven,” Aqua said, landing behind them with a soft thud, wind swirling around her feet and pushing up her half skirt as she walked over to join them, “We weren't gonna miss it. Terra's on his way too.” _

  
  


_ “Besides,” Terra said, poking he head over the white walls, his brown hair slick with sweat, “It's a nice enough night that we could train outside. Maybe I'll spar with you and Ruby, eh?” _

  
  


_ “You saying you think you could beat us at the same time?” Ven said. _

  
  


_ “Well,” Terra said with a faux-arrogant smirk, “I am gonna be a Keyblade Master soon.” _

  
  


_ “Oh, it is on!” Ven said, Wayward Wind appearing in his hand, “C'mon, Ruby!” _

  
  


_ “But… we were gonna watch the shooting stars…” Ruby said. _

  
  


_ “But Terra's-!” Ven said. _

  
  


_ “Just teasing you,” Terra said, planting his hand on Ven's head and tussling his hair, “We can practice later, if you want, but let's enjoy the meteor shower for now, Ven.” _

  
  


_ “Fine,” Ven sat back down, pouting as Aqua grabbed Crescent Rose and moved it so she could sit next to Ruby. _

  
  


_ “So,” Ruby asked Aqua, “What were you working on?” _

  
  


_ “Oh!” Aqua reached into a pouch on her side, pulling out four necklaces shaped like five pointed stars, “These!” _

  
  


_ “And they are… what, exactly?” Terra asked. _

  
  


_ “They're called Wayfinders,” Aqua explained, handing them out, an orange one for Terra, a green one for Ven, and a deep red for for Ruby  keeping an ocean blue one for herself, “I read about them in a book the other day. They're made to look like a fruit somewhere out in the universe that represents an unbreakable connection, so long as friends hold onto good luck charms like this, they'll always find each other.” _

  
  


_ “An unbreakable connection, huh?” Ruby muttered, blushing slightly as she slid the cord around her neck. _

  
  


_ “Yeah,” Aqua nodded, “that way, no matter what happens tomorrow, we'll always find our way back to each other.” _

  
  


_ “Not like we need ‘em,” Terra said, leaning back with the cord wrapped around his hand, “Nothing's gonna break us up.” _

  
  


_ “That's why I cast a spell on them,” Aqua said, “So we can draw on each other's strength no matter where we are, and anyone else that we make connections to.” _

  
  


_ “Like Yang?” Ruby asked, laying back to see the meteors. _

  
  


_ “Or people we haven't met yet,” Aqua said, reaching down to run a hand through  Ruby's hair, “The universe is a big place.” _

  
  


_ “Yeah,” Ruby said, “But I got you guys! Who else do I need?” _

  
  


\--- X Yang X---

  
  


“Crap!” Yang looked over at Ruby, who was desperately patting her neck and chest as they walked back to Beacon, just as confused about what the point of the last class had been as when they arrived.

  
  


“What?” Yang asked.

  
  


“Forgot my Wayfinder at the dorm!” Ruby blurted, before vanishing in a burst of flower petals, her voice the only other sign that the fifteen year old Keyblade wielder had even been there to begin with, “Meet you at lunch!”

  
  


“What's-!” Yang staggered a few steps forward to counteract the slip stream, before giving up the question. Ruby was way,  _ way _ to far away to hear it.

  
  


“What's a Wayfinder?” Blake asked for her. The black haired girl had immediately drawn Gambol Shroud and thrown it into the ground, using the ribbon to anchor herself, casting an exasperated look at her book, “and did your sister just break the sound barrier?”

  
  


“No,” Pyrrha said from where she was kneeling on the ground, Milò anchoring her, “there was no boom. She just moved fast enough that it seemed that way from our perspective. I do wonder how, however. Doesn't her Semblance involve portals?”

  
  


“Maybe she just opened a portal and dove into it before you could see it?” Yang offered. The excuse sounded weak, even to her.

  
  


“Maybe,” Pyrrha said, frowning, “What do we do?”

  
  


“I'll go after her,” Blake said, drawing Gambol Shroud from the ground, “You two go get lunch.”

  
  


“You sure?” Yang asked.

  
  


“She's my partner,” Blake said, standing up and sliding her sword back into the sheath, “I should at least try.”

  
  


“She's my sister,” Yang said. But how much did that mean now? Ruby and her had drifted apart over the years, an unfortunate symptom of Ruby being  _ a freaking world away _ .

  
  


“If I can't get her to tell me anything,” Blake said, “You can. But I need to try and bond with her, Yang. We're gonna be together for at least four years.”

  
  


“...Fine,” Yang said, begrudgingly.

  
  


“Make sure there's some fish for me when I get there,” Blake said, walking towards the dorms.

  
  


…

  
  


“Are you alright?” Pyrrha asked.

  
  


“Huh?” Yang snapped her head over to her partner.

  
  


“You haven't moved since Blake left a minute ago. You've just been staring that way…”

  
  


“Just thinking,” Yang said, a bit too quick.

  
  


“What's wrong?” Pyrrha asked, putting her hand on Yang's shoulder.

  
  


“Nothing,” Yang said.

  
  


“You know I can tell you're lying, right?” Pyrrha said.

  
  


“I'm just… I'm worried me and Ruby are splitting apart,” Yang said, blinking as the world blurred, “before she moved to Eraqus's place, she was always around me when we weren't in school. But now… we only ever saw each other a couple of times a year, and I'm worried-”

  
  


“-That you're never going to be that close again?” Pyrrha said.

  
  


“Yeah,” Yang reached up, wiping the tears from her eyes.

  
  


“Well, I don't know Ruby very well at this point,” Pyrrha said, “but I don't think that's true at all.”

  
  


“What-?”

  
  


“The first time I met you, you were standing outside a bathroom to keep people from seeing Ruby's back,” Pyrrha said, “You were looking for her during Initiation. I believe you and Ruby are still close, and I understand that you might be a bit… irked at Blake trying to bond with Ruby to the exclusion of you, but at least she is trying. We have four years of being a team ahead of us, the time will come when you and Ruby can go back to bonding.”

  
  


“Sure,” Yang said, tucking her fists into coat pocket.

  
  


“Come on,” Pyrrha said, taking her elbow, “let's go get some food Ruby and Blake will enjoy.”

  
  


“Strawberries, cookies and fish, coming up,” Yang joked halfheartedly.

  
  


\--- X Ruby X---

  
  


_ ”That's it?” Ruby asked, staring up as the last meteor passed. _

  
  


_ “Looks like it,” Terra said. _

  
  


_ “Cool!” Ven said, throwing himself up and summoning Wayward Wind yet again, “Come on, Ruby!” _

  
  


_ “You still want to do this?” Ruby asked with a sigh, standing up and drawing Crescent Rose from the ground. _

  
  


_ “Yeah!” _

  
  


_ “I'm still up for it,” Terra said, Earthshaker appearing in his hand. _

  
  


_ “What about you, Aqua?” Ruby said, stepping next to Ven, who was spinning Wayward Wind in hand. _

  
  


_ “I'll sit this one out,” Aqua said, “Someone needs to intervene if you three get too into it. Again.” _

  
  


_ “Sounds good,” Terra said. _

  
  


_ “Ready,” Aqua said, leaping up onto the wall behind them, “set… go!” _

  
  


_ Ven rushed forward in the blink of an eye, swinging Wayward Wind for Terra's chest. Terra swung Earthshaker up, catching Wayward Wind in between the Keyblade's teeth and disarming Ven. Earthshaker came down, aiming for Ven, who dove out of the way and came up clutching Wayward Wind. _

  
  


_ “Ruby!” _

  
  


_ “Right!” Ruby charged forward as Earthshaker sank into the ground, planting her armored foot on the Keyblade and swinging Crescent Rose towards Terra. At the same time, Ven appeared behind Terra, aiming for his back. _

  
  


_ “Quakra!” Terra barked, wrapping both hands around Earthshaker and heaving up, throwing Ruby into the air and blasting Ven back with spikes of stone. Terra leapt up after Ruby, Earthshaker bared for her. _

  
  


_ Ruby summoned Crescent Rose to her, gripping the sword and clashing with Earthshaker with gritted teeth. Before either side could break the stalemate on their own, Wayward Wind came flying towards Terra, striking him in the side and distracted him long enough for Ruby to bat him towards the ground. _

  
  


_ Diving after him, Ruby swung Crescent Rose down while Ven jumped above her, catching Wayward Wind and plummeting so he could swing for Terra. Stones lept from the ground  forming a gauntlet around his left arm, letting him block the strike from Wayward Wind with his off hand while Earthshaker’s teeth slid around Crescent Rose, the older Keyblade wielder disarming Ruby. _

  
  


_ Ruby slid back, gritting her teeth as Terra slammed Earthshaker into Ven's gut, she summoned Crescent Rose in shotgun form. Before Terra could respond, Ruby fired at him several times. _

  
  


_ Watching him stagger, Ruby quickly changed Crescent Rose back to sword form, staring him down. Terra stared right back, lowering himself. _

  
  


_ “Shin-!” Terra started, rushing towards Ruby. _

  
  


_ “Malice-!” Ruby barked, spacial magic forming around Crescent Rose. _

  
  


_ “Stopja!” the next thing she knew, the magic winked out, Aqua appearing between the two to deflect Terra's attack, “That's enough…” _

  
  


_ “We got too into it?” Terra asked, sighing. _

  
  


_ “Yes.” _

  
  


_ “Which means I won!” Ven cheered, a wide grin on his face. _

  
  


_ “You were on Ruby's team,” Aqua said, “so, no, you didn't.” _

  
  


_ “Darn,” Ven said. _

  
  


_ “That wasn't too into it,” the quartet whipped around, looking at their Master standing on the cliff, a bald man standing next to him, “I would have intervened much more decisively if it was.” _

  
  


_ “We didn't know you were here, Master,” Aqua said, “and I decided to err on the side of caution.” _

  
  


_ “Still,” Eraqus chided, “it is a Keyblade Master’s responsibility to only intervene when the world is-” _

  
  


_ “‘Absolutely incapable of saving itself’,” the four chorused. _

  
  


_ “Or if another traveler is the source of the strife,” Eraqus finished, “Now, about that spar.” _

  
  


_ “Ever the teacher,” the other man, who seemed vaguely familiar, chuckled. _

  
  


_ “Terra, using Earthshaker’s teeth as a makeshift swordbreaker was ingenious. In a fight against anyone without a Keyblade or another blade enchanted against breaking, you could have legitimately broken the sword. An enemy with no weapon is likely an enemy that has been defeated.” _

  
  


_ “That isn't the point of a swordbreaker,” Ruby said under her breath. _

  
  


_ “Ven,” Eraqus continued, beginning to pace, “You did well, letting Terra focus on Ruby when possible, you wouldn't have been able to withstand clashing with him too many times. Which leads me back to you, Terra. Avoid tunnel vision in combat. Yes, Ruby is physically stronger than Ven, but it was not a spar against Ruby, it was a spar against Ruby  _ **_and_ ** _ Ven. Had this been an actual fight, you could have risked death that way.” _

  
  


_ “Right,” Terra nodded. _

  
  


_ “Ruby,” Eraqus said, “Well done with using your shotlock, however, at no point did you deploy Crescent Rose in any form other than sword. Glaive form may have given you extra leverage against Terra.” _

  
  


_ “Oh,” Ruby said. She always forgot about the glaive. She needed to work on that… “Who’s your friend, Master?” _

  
  


_ “I am Master Xehanort,” the old man said, “I trained with Eraqus, back when we were mere apprentices. He invited me to watch Terra and Aqua's Mark of Mastery tomorrow.” _

  
  


_ “Which,” Eraqus said, cracking a smile, “You should get some rest for. I let you all stay up past your curfew to watch the meteors, but it’s late. I'd hate to have to delay your graduation because one of you fell asleep during the Exam.” _

  
  


\--- X Blake X---

  
  


Blake walked into the room, catching the thrown book with an sigh. And the next, and the next, and the-

  
  


“Where is it!?” Ruby was tearing Blake's bookshelf apart, having already apparently done the same to the beds and dressers, “Where is it!?”

  
  


“It’ll be easier for me to help you find it if you calm down long enough to tell me what ‘it’ is,” Blake said, putting the books on her dresser and carefully adjusting them.

  
  


“My Wayfinder!” Ruby said, rushing towards Pyrrha's shelf. Blake sighed, grabbing Ruby and stopping her in place.

  
  


“And a Wayfinder is what, exactly?”

  
  


“Small necklace!” Ruby snapped, yanking herself from Blake, “Red glass!”

  
  


“Oh, that…” Blake said, walking towards the hamper that hadn't been ripped apart, “Why's it so important? Was it a present?”

  
  


“From Aqua,” Ruby said, throwing yet more books onto the floor.

  
  


“Can you stop that?” Blake said, exasperated, “We have to clean this up after, so it'd be nice if you didn't make more of a mess than necessary.”

  
  


“Sorry,” Ruby said, sheepishly.

  
  


“You really care about her, huh?” Blake said, pulling open the hamper and grabbing Ruby's black coat. Considering how many pockets the dang thing had, you couldn't be sure…

  
  


“She's my best friend,” Ruby said, moving the books without throwing them, “She gave us each one, before everything… before it fell apart…”

  
  


“So it's important because- found it,” Blake said, pulling out the talisman and staring at it.

  
  


_ ”Well done, Fraulein,” a man wearing a blue tailcoat said, using a scythe to brace himself up while he spat a glob of blood up, “It's too bad, in another life, I can imagine taking you in-” _

  
  


_ Blake jerked forward, swinging a massive sword forward, only for him to plant a foot on her gut, leveling the gun at the end of the scythe at her head and not flinching as her sword sailed an inch from his face, “Dang it.” _

  
  


_ “Strong and feisty to the end,” he said, an easy grin on his face as more blood rolled down his mouth, “I'm sorry, but you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'll make it qui-” _

  
  


_ “If you're going to kill me,” Blake said, vision swimming, “kill me already.” _

  
  


_ “I knew I liked you,” he said, “Tsch-” _

  
  


_ Before the gun could go off, Blake was suddenly grabbed by the hood of her coat, thrown backwards by a long haired man swinging a katana at the tailcoated man. The rifle span like a baton, deflecting the sword as Blake crashed next to a group of people, sending a spike pain through her body and forcing her to cough up blood, “Estelle! Take care of her!” _

  
  


_ “Right!” a pink haired girl crouched down next to Blake, energy flowing into her. _

  
  


“It was in there the whole time?” Ruby said, snapping Blake from her trance and reaching out to take it with shaking hands.

  
  


“Ye-” before Blake could finish,  Ruby fell back onto her bed, pulling the Wayfinder with her and laughing hysterically, “What?”

  
  


“I- I couldn't find it! And it was in there the entire time!” Ruby choked out, continuing to laugh.

  
  


What the hell was that supposed to mean?

  
  


\--- X Glynda X---

  
  


Glynda sat down at the terminal in her office, pulling up Jaune's file and finding the emergency number. Hopefully, this led to his parents, and not someone-

  
  


“Hello?” the screen flicked on, a blond woman sitting on the other side, “Can I help you?

  
  


“Yes,” Glynda said, “My name is Glynda Goodwitch, from Beacon Academy, I'm calling about-”

  
  


“This is about Jaune, isn't it?” the woman said, eyes becoming downcast.

  
  


“Yes, he-”

  
  


“Is he alright?” Jaune's mother said, voice taking a pleading tone, “he said he was going to Beacon, but I was sure you would stop him before he got hurt-”

  
  


“Jaune's fine,” Glynda said, “he might be in trouble with the law, Mrs…?”

  
  


“Riley, Riley Arc,” Riley said, “why?”

  
  


“We have reason to suspect Jaune had transcripts forged to facilitate his entry to Beacon. Did Jaune ever go to Umbra Academy?”

  
  


“No,” Riley said, “Where would he have even gotten fake transcripts made?”

  
  


“That's what we want to know,” Glynda said, “this really isn't something to be discussed over the CCT. If I might ask, how far are you from Beacon?”

  
  


“A few weeks drive,” Riley said.

  
  


“Then would you be capable of coming in for a meeting if I sent a Bullhead to pick you up, Riley? This is… important.”

  
  


“Yes,” Riley nodded, “Yes, of course. I'll go get my husband, pack some essentials…”

  
  


“Thank you,” Glynda tried to give a calming smile, “can I get your location?”

  
  


\---

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thinking about dusting off my RWBY/MCU(/Marvel Comics) AU I started planning a couple of years back
> 
>  
> 
> This is probably the first chapter in a bit I've legitimately enjoyed writing. Thoughts? Good? Bad? Meh?


	13. Chapter 13

Ruby clutched the Wayfinder in a vice grip, occasionally giving a punchdrunk giggle. She had it on her during her fight with the Master! Blake reached out, putting her hand on Ruby's shoulder, “What?”

 

“Are you alright?” Blake asked.

 

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, swaying slightly.

 

"You look… rough," Blake said.

 

"Whaddayamean?" Ruby slurred, stomach rolling while her grip on the Wayfinder got worse, "Blake?" 

 

"What?"

 

"I don't feel too well..." Ruby trailed off, gagging. Light, she felt sick.

 

"Here," Blake said, pushing open the door to a classroom and pulling Ruby to it, letting her sit down. Ruby put her head between her legs, trying to stop the spinning and the sick feeling.

 

It didn't work.

 

Instead, Ruby gagged more, bile, hot chocolate and grits splattering across the floor as the world distorted more. On the corner of her ears, Ruby caught Blake talking to someone.

 

And then she fell to the side, vision fading.

 

\---X  **Tai** X---

 

Tai picked up his Scroll without glancing at the number, putting it to his ear, "Hello?"

 

"Mister Xiao Long?" The voice on the other side said.

 

"Yes?"

 

"I'm Doctor Hestia Pele," the woman said, "from the Beacon medical ward, and I'm calling because your… ah… ward? Miss Rose is here-"

 

"I'll be right there," Tai said, almost ripping the door off the hinges and beginning to jog towards the ward.

 

"That's really not-"

 

"I'm already at Beacon," Tai said, just before hanging up, "Might as well."

 

Storing his Scroll in his pocket, Tai rushed down the halls at a dead sprint, shoving past people with a hurried apology when necessary. What was going on, what happened now?

 

Rushing through the doors, Tai's eyes immediately landed on Blake, who was sitting on a chair next to an unconscious Ruby, a frown on her face, "Hi."

 

"What happened?"

 

"I don't know," Blake said, frown growing tighter, "She just… collapsed, and they won't tell anything since I'm not related to her or marked as a contact."

 

He would have to fix that at some point, Blake and Pyrrha were eventually going to be closer to her if anything went wrong. Tai sat down next to Blake, taking Ruby's hand.

 

"Mister Xiao Long?" Tai looked up, watching the redhead walking towards them in scrubs.

 

"Doctor Pele?" Tai asked in turn, "What happened?

 

"A combination of things," Pele said, rubbing the corner of her eye, before looking over to Blake, "Miss, could you ste-"

 

"She can stay," Tai said, "She's Ruby partner. What do you mean, a combination of things?"

 

"Well," Pele said, "the straw was her Aura going down. From there, everything else that had built up brought her down."

 

"Which is?" Tai prompted again.

 

"High blood sugar," Pele said, tapping her Scroll, "Blood pressure low enough I'm legitimately surprised she hasn't gone into shock-"

 

"Wha-?" Whatever Blake had been about to say, Tai cut her off with a thunderous cry.

 

"WHAT!?"

 

"Please quiet down," Pele said, before pausing, "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. I'm used to handling kids, you understand."

 

"What do you mean, she should be in shock?" Tai gritted.

 

"Her blood pressure is low enough," Pele said with a shrug, "I don't think she'll go into it, don't worry. Anyways, two of the largest wounds on her back also reopened, which I've stitched up and she seems to have traces of water in her lungs. I'm going to keep her here for the next couple of days, make sure she doesn't grow worse."

 

"Ok," Tai said, reaching out to brush Ruby's hair out of her face. Rosebud…

 

\---X  **Luxu** X---

 

Luxu stepped out of the corridor of darkness, hand in his pockets as the sun immediately bared down on him, the spikes of stone behind him not doing anything to stop it. Sighing, the Master clicked his fingers, the sky above  him warping to make clouds. There, that was a bit better.

 

"Man, oh man," Luxu said, looking at the collapsed remains of a clocktower in the distance. Memories of the tower standing upright flashed through his head as he pantomimed blocking a strike. His eye continued to the left, finally catching sight of the Keyblade impaled into the ground, an honest, sad smile coming across his face, "You guys really wrecked the place, didn't you?"

 

Bear's Claw (a name Luxu couldn't claim credit for, and didn't want to) just continued its silent vigil, pushed into the top of the cliff until its lower tooth touched the ground. The bear on the guard stared out over the desolate wasteland that had once been Daybreak Town.

 

It had been attrition that brought the Foreteller of Ursus low. Days of fighting without end, and a harsh and bloody duel with Ira had weakening him enough for a four Keybladers from Unicornis to avenge  _ their _ Foreteller at the cost of her life, reduced to splatters of gore by Bear's Claw's namesake attack. Luxu and Aced's eyes had met for a second, a small pile of Keybladers from every union around Luxu, and Aced had given a bloody grin, shoulders shaking with laughter as he tipped off the cliff, crashing onto the battlefield below. 

 

Dead.

 

His home, his family had ripped itself apart before his eyes, Aced killing Ira, Gula impaling Invi, and Ava burning him to ash. Daybreak Town had been smashed apart as mages of the guilds summoned waves, earthquakes, storms and flames.

 

"'On that fated land, a great war shall transpire. Darkness will prevail and the light expire,'" Luxu said, his voice soft as his hand brushed against the guard of Bear's Claw, "Gotta say, bro, if this wasn't the great war… I'm kinda scared to see what is. You ended the world with this one."

 

Eye finally landing on what he was looking for, Luxu took a step forward, space warping to cover nearly a kilometer in that one step. Crouching, Luxu wrapped his hand around the sword hilt, tugging it from the metal gauntlets holding it, and stood to examine the Keyblade.

 

Black fire burned up from his hand, changing the weapon as it burned. The hilt became a deep red, the guard shifting to a rectangular shape and the blade grew longer and more chipped, with four uneven red teeth at the tip. Luxu met the Gazing Eye staring back at him, a shark's grin splitting his face, "Well, it might not be mine, but it's-"

 

Before Luxu could finish, a metal knee crashed into his spine, sending him flying through the Keyblades and onto the cliff face, knocking his hood off. Looking up, he watched the armor march towards him, a Darkgnaw keyblade in each hand, " **You're right. It isn't yours** ."

 

"What?" Luxu taunted, "is a bucket like you gonna stop me from taking it? As if!"

 

\--- X  **Terra** X---

 

Terra watched Braig, hands wrapped around the pair of Keyblades. Identical, and with even more of the same type around the wasteland. There were thousands of Keyblades here, maybe even more. Was that how far along the people from before the Keyblade War, that they could mass produce the most powerful weapon in existence?

 

Terra tried to breath in, centering himself for his fight with Braig. Nothing came of it, no calming expansion of his chest.

 

Because he didn't have a body anymore, he was just a ghost in a shell. He couldn't feel  _ anything _ but the Keyblade in Braig's hand, the agony spiking the Ends of the Earth. Taking one step forward, Terra wanted to tense, before he launched himself across the gap, swinging his right hand sword for Braig's throat.

 

The warped form of Ends of the Earth struck the dead Keyblade, shattering it in a single hit. Swinging the second at Braig's throat, Terra threw away the broken key, wrapping his hand around one shaped like a bike key in the same move and thrust it towards Braig. The ground rumbled, shifting unnaturally so Braig was higher than he should have been, both Keyblades Terra had been in the midst of attacking with sinking into the stone.

 

Grabbing two more of the bike Keyblades, Terra began to rush up the cliff, using them to deflect the magical arrows Braig was firing from the crossbow in his left hand, " **Stop that** !"

 

"What?" Braig span Ends of the Earth around, digging it into the cliff face, before ripping it down, "Were you expecting me to play  _ fair _ !?"

 

A stone spike burst out of the cliff in front of Terra, nearly smashing into his chest. Dropping one of the Keyblades, Terra wrapped his hand around the spike and vaulted over it. 

 

Right in time to be hammered by several arrows, Braig laughing as he paced on the cliff, "Just give it up, rust bucket! You can't beat m-"

 

Terra regained his footing, before kicking off from the cliff and slashing for Braig's throat. The Keyblade created a small slit before Ends of the Earth batted him away from Braig, crashing into one of the bunches of Keyblades. Above him, Braig pressed a hand against his neck, healing the injury, "Nice try, really. But you should just-"

 

Terra grabbed the nearest Keyblades, a gold one with teeth like lightning and a silver one with vines for the teeth, and launched himself at Braig, who's one eye had grown wide.

 

The lightning blade impaled Braig, pinning him to the wall while the other pressed to his throat, a demand rising from Terra immediately, " **Drop-** ”

 

"You fucking-," Braig seethed before vanishing, a storm of arrows striking Terra from behind, "Drop those! Drop them right now, you don't have the rig-"

 

“ **You want them** ?" Terra said, winding up the silver keyblade, " **Catch** !"

 

Braig did just that, letting go of his bow to catch the Keyblade. If Terra had a mouth, he would have grinned. Perfect. 

 

Launching off the cliff, Terra swung the gold sword at Braig, the blood on it flying off, " **Shin Zante-"**

 

Only for Braig to move faster than Terra could respond to, cutting off both of his arms in one sweep and dropping, his foot smashing into Terra's chest until they were both driven into the ground next to the cliff, and Braig began to stomp on Terra's helm repeatedly, "You'd use my own friends weapons against me? You stupid! Damn! Tin! Can!

 

Eyes landing on Wayward Wind, Terra clenched one hand. He couldn't use D-Links anymore, but he could still use magic, " **Me-** ”

 

"I! Don't! Care!" 

 

" **Meteor** ,” Terra finished, the magic forming into a giant stone above them, and dropping towards them. Braig stopped his stomping to look up, dropping the silver keyblade so he could hold Ends of the Earth with both hands, jumping to cut it in two. Terra grabbed the silver Keyblade and Wayward Wind, preparing to attack him.

 

The second Braig landed, he stopped, looking back at Terra, face pulled into a scowl, "You know what? This isn't worth it. Keep Invi's Keyblade for now, I'll be back for it later.

 

" **You** !" Terra started, a massive canyon opening in front of him to keep him away from Braig.

 

"It's not like you can get off this place without my new Keyblade!" Braig taunted, spinning Ends of the Earth around before he ducked into the back portal.

 

Terra's grip on the silver Keyblade and Wayward Wind grew tight. He would find a way off, he was sure of that. Then he was gonna cave that son of a bitch's head in and take Ends of the Earth back. Looking down at the sword, Terra span it, and beginning to wander the badlands.

 

\---X  **Yang** X---

 

Yang watched Blake enter combat class with a spike of worry. Where was Ruby?

 

"Ruby's in the med ward," Blake said, sitting down next to Pyrrha. What!?

 

"What do you mean, she's in the med ward!?" Yang hissed, trying to stand up, only for Pyrrha to grab her wrist, "Pyr-"

 

"What happened?" Pyrrha asked.

 

"She blacked out when her Aura broke," Blake said, "I don't think it was a good idea for her to go to the Initiation."

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yang asked, baring her teeth at Blake. Was she implying her sister wasn't good eno-?"

 

"She was recovering from her fight with Xehanort, right?" Blake said, "Then she went through Initiation, where she blew up, had a fight on her first day, lost a good portion of her Aura in the middle of the night, then went into an endurance test. She hasn't had time to recover from  _ one _ fight, let alone multiple."

 

"One fight that wasn't controlled," Pyrrha agreed, "Because the way her back looks… if Xehanort wasn't trying to kill her outright, he certainly didn't care if she died."

 

"Exactly," Blake nodded, "I'm not saying Ruby doesn't deserve to be at Beacon, just that putting her in when they did might not have been the best idea. She was going to crash sooner or later…"

 

"Better sooner," Pyrrha said, pulling Yang down into her chair, "Your father is with her, I'm assuming?"

 

"Tai's there," Blake confirmed.

 

"Then we can go see her after class," Pyrrha said, "Tai wouldn't want us all to skip class for this."

 

"Ruby'd probably be unhappy about it too," Yang admitted, crossing her arms, "but I'm not happy about it."

 

"And you shouldn't be," Team NBY turned, it dawning on them that class had started while they were talking Goodwitch looking up at them, "but I can't have you just ignoring class. Down into the sparring girls, I want to make sure you're mind is on class. Miss Schnee!"

 

Weiss jerked to attention from where she was taking notes, "Yes, ma'am?"

 

"Would you please pick two of your teammates to follow you into the arena?"

 

"Bu-? Oh!" Weiss nodded, "Ren, Nora, come on!"

 

"What ab-?" The last member started.

 

"We don't need you for this, Mister Arc," Goodwitch said, "just take notes."

 

\--- X  **Glynda** X---

 

It was, in some ways, lucky that Miss Rose had been forced to miss class, Glynda admitted to herself as the two teams entered the arena. It gave her an easy excuse to remove Mister Arc from the spar, even though she normally would be loath to have Weiss and Blake face each other the previous day. And they would need to, given that they now had confirmation that he shouldn't be here.

 

Did he realize how much he had to answer for, now?

 

Pushing aside those thoughts, Glynda watched the two teams step into the arena. NBY were walking even with each other, while Weiss walked slightly faster than her teammates to keep them flanking her. 

 

"Ready?" Glynda asked, watching all six nod, and hit the timer, "Good."

 

\--- X  **Pyrrha** X---

 

Pyrrha span Miló once, watching the opposite team, "We-"

 

Before she could even finish the sentence, Yang rushed forward, her weapons deployed, and tried to punch Weiss. A white glyph formed in between them, blocking Yang's attack, before it shifted to black, blasting the brawler back.

 

"I'll deal with Lie," Blake said, drawing Gambol Shroud, "You deal with Nora?"

 

"I had planned-" Pyrrha was cut off by her partner launching over them, firing three red flares at Weiss that shook the glyph, before Yang hit it again, shattering it and sending Weiss back, "Yes, I'll deal with Nora."

 

Blake nodded with a tight smile, before moving towards Lie, sword and sheath bared. Nora started to step in between them. 

 

There!

 

Pyrrha rushed forward, passing Blake as she bared Akoúo̱, smashing into Nora and pushing her away from Ren. Divide and conquer. 

 

Finishing the push, Pyrrha dodged the hammer blow from Nora, slashing with Miló. Pink Aura sparked along the slash, and when she finished, Pyrrha span in place, putting as much force as possible into the bash of Akoúo̱.

 

Activating her Semblance, Pyrrha adjusted the swing of Nora's hammer so it went sailing over her head, while she own strike hit dead on the face, creating a loud crack. Nora staggered backwards, looking punch drunk from the blow. Good, that was-

 

Before she could capitalize on Nora's disorientation, a set of bullets flew over Pyrrha's shoulder and hit into Nora, lightning Dust going off and creating crackling of yellow electricity along her skin. Then, rather suddenly, the electricity turned pink, and Nora's eyes stopped jumping around, a wide grin on her face and a maniacal laugh rising up.

 

Oh, n-

 

Pyrrha swung Akoúo̱ up, gritting her teeth as her arm protested the blow that came down, the ground below them cracking from the force of the blow. Shifting Miló with her other hand, Pyrrha pressed the gun against Nora.

 

The shot's force was diffused out through Nora's Aura, the earth aspected shot throwing her back so Pyrrha could take a moment to relax, shifting Miló to javelin form, Pyrrha pulled back, aiming at Nora. 

 

Nora moved in a blur, smashing Milo into the ground and charging at Pyrrha, firing a grenade at her as she went. Pyrrha threw Akoúo̱ over it, the grenade going off with a thump and throwing the shield back into the air. Pyrrha caught it, smacking Nora's hammer aside before striking her in the throat with Akoúo̱. 

 

Holding out her hand, Pyrrha grabbed Miló with her Semblance, shifted to rifle form and fired two more shots into Nora's head, a loud buzzer going off.

 

"Nora Valkyrie is-" before Goodwitch could finish, a second buzzer went off, "And Blake Belladonna are out!"

 

\--- X  **Ren** X---

 

Ren met Blake's eyes as Nora was pushed away by Pyrrha, lifting Stormflower. Preparing himself, Ren rushed forward, firing at Blake with one gun. When Blake dodged to the side, leaving a clone, Ren immediately fired with his second gun, the shots hitting home at the center of mass and flames burning along her skin.

 

Ren slashed the air, his Aura forming into a magenta X that blasted forward. Blake changed the sword's form, pulling a trigger to fire a shot. Gravity, judging by the fact that his attack and the air was warped back towards him. Ren lifted his hands, forming a barrier of Aura in front of himself. The shot hit home, the built up energy blasting against the barrier and shattered it, the bullet continuing on to hit Ren in the cheek. 

 

Ren didn't stop to respond to the stinging, charging at Blake again. His Aura wrapped around both blades as he hooked them around her shoulders, yanking her head down to meet his knee. Before he hit her, Blake used the opportunity to fire two shots at point blank range, the Gravity Dust pushing him back and knocking Stormflower from his hands. Ren breathed in, lifting his hands, and rushed forward, dodging the next to shots.

 

Dodging the slash, Ren kicked Stormflower into the air, pointing the one chambered with lightning dust at Nora while he pointed the one with fire at Blake, and fired. Blake staggered back at the shot to the head holding the top of her head, while he heard Nora give a loud laugh. Tossing one gun in the air, Ren loaded the other with Wind Dust. Pulling back the slide, Ren tossed it into the air, catching the other and beginning to load it with Fire Dust while Blake was still disoriented.

 

He wasn't quick enough. Blake caught Storm, firing his own gun at him. Creating another barrier, Ren waited for the gun to empty before he dropped it, spinning his gun and slashing into Blake at the same time Blake hit him. Ren winced, before the buzzer went off twice.

 

Yeah, that sounded about-

 

"Nora Valkyrie and Blake Belladonna are out!" Goodwitch said, leaving Ren to turn towards Pyrrha, staring at her as she lifted her gun.

 

"Just get it over with," Ren said, "My Aura's almost in the red anyway."

 

Pyrrha obliged, firing a single shot that took him out of the match.

 

\---X  **Weiss** X---

 

Weiss panted as she fought with Yang, sweat pouring down her face. She wasn't used to fights like this, against someone so aggressive, that she couldn't just beat with a few blasts of her Semblance. Winter had tried to train her, but-

 

Weiss threw up another glyph, activating it the minute Yang crashed into it. Ice crawled up Yang's hands with each punch, and Weiss slid backwards. She wasn't going to lose like this! She wouldn't be the first to go out!

 

She was her team's leader, she had to prove she deserved that title!

 

Shifting to lightning dust, Weiss activated another Glyph below her. Time slowed to a near halt as she coiled herself, springing forward and dropping the Glyph Yang had been punching. 

 

Watching the next punch fly towards her, Weiss sidestepped it, lashing out with Myrtenaster and digging into Yang's chest. Dodging around the blond as she swung wide, Weiss stabbed into Yang's side repeatedly. 

 

Two buzzers went off, seemingly in slow motion, followed by Goodwitch calling something out, and a third buzzer. So they were either on the brink of victory… or Weiss was alone. Either way, she needed to finish this before she burned too much Aura and stamina.

 

Lunging at Yang, Weiss met her red eyes as she struck Yang full on, creating another Glyph of Lightning Dust in between them, and blasted Yang outright.

 

That ended up being her downfall. Yang reached out, grabbing Weiss even as the lightning coursed across her skin, her hair seeming to turn into bright fire and drove her knee into Weiss's gut. Pain smashed through Weiss, the lightning jumping from Yang back to her. Weiss just bit her cheek, glaring at Yang, and shifted to Ice Dust, driving a set of icicles into Yang as the buzzer went off twice in a row, the lights turned on, letting Weiss see her classmates and teammates. 

 

Meeting Goodwitch's eyes, Weiss couldn't help the confident smile that rose up when the teacher nodded to both Weiss and Yang, before turning to Pyrrha, "Miss Nikos."

 

Pyrrha looked up from where she was checking her gun, "Yes, ma'am?"

 

"Why didn't you help your partner?"

 

"I'm sorry?" Pyrrha said, brows meeting, "Yang was fighting Weiss."

 

"Exactly," Glynda said, "Yet you didn't help her. Why?"

 

"I… don't understand the question," Pyrrha said.

 

"Of course you don't," Goodwitch sighed, "if Miss Xiao Long was fighting a Grimm, would you have helped her?"

 

"Of course."

 

"If she was fighting a bandit, would you help her?"

 

"Of course," Pyrrha repeated.

 

"Then why didn't you help her fight Miss Schnee?"

 

"Why would I?" Pyrrha asked, "I wouldn't interrupt another tournament mat-"

 

"And there is the crux," Goodwitch said, "it wasn't another match. It was the same, but except for Mister Ren activating Miss Valkyrie's Semblance, you all fought like you were separated."

 

Weiss remained silent, unable to refute it. They HAD all fought separately.

 

"It's only the second day, and I know both of your teams have been dealing with other things," Goodwitch said, "but when you have time, you should practice on fighting as a team."

 

Weiss nodded, looking over at Jaune. Goodwitch hadn't mentioned him…

 

\--- X  **Pyrrha** X---

 

Pyrrha walked with Yang and Blake, still mulling over Goodwitch's advice to her. She still wasn't sure why what she did was wrong. They were a team yes, but none of the tournaments she had been in were-

 

"Miss Rose!" Pyrrha shared a look with her teammates, before rushing into the med ward. Ruby was standing up, using Crescent Rose as a brace, and a barrier between her and Tai and the doctor, "Please lie back down."

 

"I'm fine," Ruby said.

 

"Sure you are," Blake snarked, "What are you doing, going to visit Riku?"

 

"Ven," Ruby muttered, "gotta go see Ven, make sure he's alright."

 

"He's alright?" Yang said, "Rubes, you look like you're about to keel over!"

 

"She did, earlier," Blake pointed out.

 

"I'm better now," Ruby insisted.

 

"Don't make me repeat myself," Blake deadpanned.

 

"Ruby," Pyrrha said, "You're clearly not well enough. We'll go check on him for you, just focus on resting."

 

Ruby's arm dropped, the barrier dropping with it, and the other sword appearing in the hand, "Fine. You'll need this."

 

Pyrrha reached out, taking the unusually light sword, "Um… why?"

 

"You just will," Ruby muttered, snapping her fingers so a black portal would open. What the heck was Ruby's Semblance?

 

"We'll see you in a bit, sis," Yang said, before turning to the others, "C'mon."

 

They ducked into the blackness, a strange feeling overtaking Pyrrha, "Was this what it was like when you two went in, Blake?"

 

"Something like it," Blake said, "Didn't Ruby say these portals was dangerous?"

 

The three shared a look, before darting the rest of the way from the tunnel, exiting out into a hallway in front of a door, "is this it?" 

 

"Looks like it," Blake said, before looking around, "I'm gonna go check around this place. See if I can't find anything out."

 

"You sure that's safe?" Yang said.

 

"I have Gambol Shroud," Blake said, walking around the portal, "See you in a bit?"

 

"Yep," Yang nodded, before pushing in the door, "Alright, kid?"

 

No answer, the sandy haired boy lying on the bed didn't respond. Couldn't answer, from what Ruby said.

 

"So, this is Ven?" Pyrrha said.

 

"Yeah," Yang said, "Now… what the heck was Ruby expecting us to do? Talk to him?"

 

"Probably should have asked," Pyrrha agreed.

 

\--- X  **AN** X---

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?


	14. Chapter 14

Blake walked through the white halls of the… whatever they were in, stopping at intersection and looking around, ears twitching as they did. This place was labyrinthine. She wasn't sure how long she'd been walking through the halls, checking doors that either led to stairwells, other halls, or the occasional bedroom.

 

Blake had found one that she was pretty sure had been Ruby's, given the amount of red. It had been a merciful reprieve from the monotone white. But she still wasn't any closer to knowing where the heck they were. It didn't look like a hospital, there weren't any nurses, or receptionist or anything. 

 

Pushing open the next door, Blake gave a relieved sigh. A library. If there was any help here, it would be in the library.

 

Boots clicking across the library, Blake's eyes were drawn to the painting hanging above the grand fireplace. It was of Ruby, Aqua, Terra and Ventus in their armor, each holding their Keyblades. Blake walked over, looking up at it. Had Eraqus made this?

 

Casting that question aside for the moment, Blake stepped up to the arched windows, staring out to the fog. Floating in air, and just barely visible, was a spire chained to the main building, the ground below it bobbing. 

 

What was this place?  _ Where _ was this place?

 

Pushing aside the confusion, Blake turned towards the walls of books. So many, hundreds of them. Where to even  _ start _ ?

 

Stepping towards one bookcase, Blake carefully ran a finger along a leather bound tome. Real leather…

 

How old were these books? Had Eraqus had a fondness for collecting them, or were they the result of a chain of Masters? Was that why Ruby felt obliged to train Riku?

 

It sure felt like there were far, far too many books for one person to have read. Especially when the picture of Eraqus she had seen hadn't seemed to be more than middle aged.

 

But the other answer seemed just as fanciful, that there was a group of swordsmen and women with a fortress or base or… whatever this place was, existed. Even if it had been mostly empty, this…  _ Whatever _ was massive. Bigger than her home in Menagerie. And certainly bigger than what the Vale White Fang had access to. 

 

It made Blake kinda want to ask Ruby if they could turn it into a shelter for Faunus off the streets. If it was just her and Ven here, it couldn't hurt to open it up, right?

 

Blake shook her head, now wasn't the time for this. Her first response to everything her partner had shouldn't be to plan how to exploit it.

 

Pulling out her Scroll, Blake idly noticed the lack of long range connections, and the struggle to keep connected to Yang and Pyrrha. Setting a timer for an hour from then, Blake put it on the table and hit the start button. 

 

A childish smile spread across Blake's face while she turned, eyes scanning the books. Where to start?

 

\--- X  **Pyrrha** X---

 

Pyrrha paced around the room while Yang prattled on about their day to the comatose boy they had been sent to check on. Finally, Pyrrha spoke, "You know he probably can't hear you, right?"

 

The second the words exited her mouth, she regretted them. Of course Yang knew that, how could she  _ not _ ?

 

"I'm just trying to imagine what Ruby would do," Yang said, sitting up.

 

"Where do you think we are?" Pyrrha asked, stopping her pacing, "it can't be a hospital, there's no emergency call button, no life support…"

 

That wasn't quite right. This place, wherever it was,  _ whatever _ it was, seemed to thrum with an energy Pyrrha wasn't quite sure about. It was like Aura, but different, heavier, wrapping around her like a blanket and soothing the remaining aches in her arm from her clash with Nora.

 

"I don't know," Yang said, a frown on her face as she stood, stretching and looking out the window, "I thought that maybe Ruby was keeping him in the Land of Departure… but I'm not sure that's where this is."

 

"The land of departure?" Pyrrha asked.

 

"It was…" Yang sighed, turning to Pyrrha, "Listen, can I let you in on something that's gonna sound insane?"

 

"Sure," Pyrrha said, taking a seat and crossing her legs, "What is it?"

 

"I'm… pretty sure we're not on Remnant right now," Yang said, face serious.

 

"Not on Remnant…?" Pyrrha asked, "Then where are we?"

 

"Like I said, I don't know," Yang said, "Eraqus owned this small world he called the Land of- you're taking this well. I kinda expect you to call me insane…"

 

"Given the wanton amount of strange things that exist in association with your sister, I'm willing to entertain the notion," Pyrrha said, carefully, "Her multiple Semblances, the fact that neither of her weapons are affected by my Semblance-"

 

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha lifted her hand, the black of her Semblance forming around Yang's arm, yanking it up sharply so the gold bangle on it could fly over, stopping above Pyrrha's hand, which was covered in the same black energy, "Wha-? Hey!"

 

"My Semblance is polarity," Pyrrha said, before floating the bangle back to Yang, before holding out her other hand to the sword leaning against the wall, the sword not even budging, "but I can't seem to affect those weapons."

 

"Yeah," Yang said,  "it's a bunch of mystical mumbo jumbo I don't get. Ruby's Semblance is super speed, everything else is… it's magic."

 

"Magic," Pyrrha said, carefully.

 

"Yeah," Yang said, pacing, "it's insane sounding, I know. But you have to believe me!"

 

"I believe you think so," Pyrrha said, taking Yang's hand, "but why tell me about this? It must be a secret, if almost nobody knows."

 

"Because…" Yang said, sitting down and rubbing her eyes, tears in them, "because I need to be able to talk to SOMEONE about this. I don't know what's going on entirely, or how I'm supposed to keep Ruby safe and-"

 

"You needed someone to talk to it about," Pyrrha said, squeezing Yang's hand, "Thank you for trusting me about it."

 

"Terra's missing, Ven's lying here and Eraqus is dead," Yang said, voice hollow, "What if Ruby ends up like them?"

 

"She won't," Pyrrha said, "just like we'll help her recover, we'll make sure she doesn't get hurt. Should we tell Blake?"

 

"I think Ruby should be the one to unpack that one," Yang said, before dropping her voice, "can you keep this a secret from Ruby? I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."

 

Pyrrha nodded, smiling at Yang, "of course."

 

\--- X  **Aqua** X---

 

Aqua landed with a heavy sigh, her glider returning to Brightcrest and sailing to her hand, trying to ignore the warring in her heart. It hadn't stopped since she began her search half a week before.

 

She wasn't sure she had made the right choice, giving Ruby the rank of Master and telling her to train Riku. Ruby was a good fighter, yes, but that didn't mean she would be suited to train someone. Ruby had been better at taking in new techniques than teaching them the ones she made.

 

Dispelling Brightcrest made it a bit easier. Even if it was one, small extra step between summoning her Keyblade Glider and rushing to Remnant, it was still an extra step nonetheless.

 

Wrapping her hand around her Wayfinder, Aqua closed her eyes. Pushing her worry and love into it, she waited for some form of response from Ruby.

 

Nothing. 

 

Aqua's grip on the Wayfinder grew tighter. No, she was over thinking things. Ruby was probably just asleep, or focused on training Riku or… something. She wouldn't give up her Wayfinder.

 

"Aqua!" Aqua's eyes flitted open, a small smile breaking across her face. 

 

"Mickey!" Aqua said, walking towards the mouse, "You're alright?"

 

"You betcha!" Mickey said, "What about you, Ruby, Terra and Ven?"

 

"That's… a bit more complicated," Aqua said, "I don't know where Terra is, and Ven's... asleep and won't wake up. His heart is… it's missing."

 

"Gosh," Mickey said, Star Seeker sinking down, "I'm… I'm sorry to hear that, Aqua. Is there anything I can do to help?'

 

"I-" Aqua said, closing her eyes, "I don't know. I need to talk to Master Yen Sid before I do anything. Is he home?"

 

"I don't think he ever leaves," Mickey said, "What about Ruby, how is she?"

 

"She's… doing alright, I hope," Aqua said. 

 

"You hope?" Mickey asked, "What do you mean, you hope?"

 

"I… I left her in charge of taking care of Ven," Aqua said, opening the door, "and some other stuff, so I could look for Terra-"

 

"You left her alone?" Mickey asked, horror dipping into his voice.

 

"I need to find Terra," Aqua said, "So we can be a family agai-"

 

"Aqua, she's  _ hurt _ ," Mickey insisted, "she just lost everyone other than you! And you just left her to take care of Ventus!?"

 

"I… I need to find Terra," Aqua insisted, ''What if he's hurt or dead? Ruby's fine, so there's no need to-"

 

"She might be fine physically," Mickey continued, "but I'm sure she's not emotionally, Aqua."

 

Aqua's hand brushed against her Wayfinder. Did Mickey actually think she didn't know that? But she didn't know what to do, who to pick. 

 

Reaching up, she knocked on the door to Yen Sid's study, "Come in!"

 

"Master Yen Sid," Aqua said, giving a slight bow as she walked into the room, one Yen Sid returned.

 

"Master Aqua," Yen Sid said, "I must say, I didn't expect you to return to my door so soon. What is it that you need?"

 

"I need… guidance," Aqua said, "And with Master Eraqus…"

 

"Yes," Yen Sid said, stroking his beard, "I should have suspected as much. It's not often anything else that brings someone to me. What is it you need?"

 

"I'm searching for Terra," Aqua said, "and was hoping you would know… anything… about where he might be. You knew about the Unversed-"

 

"Tis a difference between knowing of a threat, and the location of one man," Yen Sid said.

 

"Right," Aqua said, trying to hide her disappointment, "of course, I'm sorry to have-"

 

"Luckily, I may have a portent for you on this matter," Yen Sid said,  "You know of the world known as Radiant Garden, correct?"

 

"Yes," Aqua nodded.

 

"There has been an influx and outflux of Darkness from it," Yen Sid said, "starting shortly after your clash with Xehanort."

 

"Thank you!" Aqua said, bowing and turning towards the door.

 

"Aqua," Yen Sid said, stopping her in her tracks, "What of Ruby?"

 

"What do you mean?" Aqua asked, the grip on her door growing tight at the mention of her…

 

"We know not what happened to Xehanort, nor his associate. You could be walking right into a trap, leaving your apprentice-"

 

"She's not my apprentice," Aqua said, "I made her a Master."

 

"Wha-?"  Mickey started, "Aqua!"

 

"...Hm…" Yen Sid said, eyes narrowing, "forgive my presumptuous questioning, but are you certain that is a wise course of action?"

 

"What is that supposed to mean?" Aqua said, turning to Yen Sid.

 

"She is young," Yen Sid said, "her training yet incomplete. Far be it from me to judge your assessment of her skill, for you know it far better than I, but are you utterly certain she is ready for this, in your heart?"

 

"She has to be," Aqua insisted, turning back to the door

 

"Very well," Yen Sid leaned back, "then may your heart be your guiding key, Master Aqu-"

 

Aqua locked up, turning to Yen Sid, "What did you just say?"

 

"May your heart by your guiding key," Yen Sid repeated, "an old well wishing from the Age of Fairy Tales. Why, had you heard it before now?

 

"Ruby said it to me," Aqua said, voice shaken. Why would Ruby say something from the Age of Fairy Tales?

 

"I see," Yen Sid, "Do not concern yourself with it, Aqua. It is merely a way to express trust and well wishes."

 

"Yeah," Aqua nodded playing with a pouch. That was right! "Mickey, before I go, I wanted to give you this."

 

Pulling out a white Wayfinder, she offered it to Mickey, who took it, "Isn't this-?"

 

"You helped us all," Aqua said, "I want you to have one too."

 

"Not Terra," Mickey said, before sliding the Wayfinder around his neck, "Thank you."

 

"Thank you too," Aqua said, "I'll see you all soon, I hope."

 

"Yeah," Mickey nodded, waving to Aqua as she finally opened to door and began her path down the tower.

 

\--- X  **Mickey** X---

 

Mickey watched the door shut, arm dropping. Should he go after her? Make sure she didn't-?

 

"Mickey," Yen Sid aaid.

 

"Yes, Master Yen Sid?" Mickey asked, turning to him. The Keyblade Master was staring at the door with a frown in his eyes, his lips covered by his hands.

 

"I'd like you to depart for the Land of Departure as soon as possible, if you would be willing. While it is not my place to openly disagree with Aqua's decision to Mark Ruby as a Master, I suspect she will desire help."

 

"Of course," Mickey said, nodding, "Minnie will understand, I'm sure."

 

"You don't need to be with her constantly," Yen Sid said, standing up and grabbing a box from one of the shelves behind him, "but establish a connection. Remind her that even with her friends gone, she is not the only Keyblade Wielder in this universe."

 

"Right," Mickey nodded, before pausing, "How do I get there?"

 

"You'll be using the Star Shard," Yen Sid said, unlatching the box and taking out the star shaped block, "which gives me an opportunity to actually teach you how to USE it."

 

Mickey gave an uncomfortable laugh, rubbing his head, "Right."

 

"Take it," Yen Sid said, handing Mickey the stone, "and close your eyes. Focus on the world you wish to travel to with every fiber of your being."

 

Mickey did so, breathing in.

 

"Now let go," Yen Sid said, "not literally, but your body, soul and heart want to stay here by default. Stop that, let yourself be pul-"

 

Mickey felt the sudden, unrelenting pull in his navel he had come to associate with the Star Shard, being yanked forward suddenly and unrelentingly. As quickly as it came, it faded, Mickey's legs slamming into the ground and forcing him to drive Star Seeker into the ground to stabilize himself.

 

Opening his eyes, Mickey stared at the manor in front of him. Had he gotten it wrong again?

 

"Ruby?" Mickey called, walking to the door and pushed it open, walking a white room, "Ruby, it's Mickey! Are you here?"

 

Nothing. But then again, this place was probably large enough that she might just be unable to hear him. He'd have to go further in.

 

"Ruby!?" Mickey started to call, walking up the stairs, "Ruby~!?"

 

It took about an hour for him to find someone, following the booming noise to find her standing inside one of the white rooms. She looked over at him, dropping the sword she was holding in one hand, a black ribbon keeping it from hitting the ground, "Wha-?"

 

"Hey there!" Mickey said, smiling at her, "You wouldn't happen to know where Ruby Rose is, would ya?"

 

\--- X  **Blake** X---

 

Blake carefully shut the door to the library, eyes scanning the book in front of her,  _ A Doctrine On Tactics and Techniques for Shadowhunting _ by Gaius Baelsar. It was… interesting, for lack of a better word. Old, written on parchment with handwritten lettering (Gaius, or the scribe who wrote this had very nice handwriting), and antiqued terms for things that Blake had translated. Shadows were Grimm, Shadowhunting was being a Huntsman (obviously), Magic and Mana were Dust and Aura (though used fairly interchangeably).

 

Blake loaded a fire Dust cartridge into Gambol Shroud as she toed open the door across from the library. There was a technique mentioned early on in the book, one Gaius had been apparently very proud of, since he called it 'the first step of his magnum opus', "Terminus Est, the burning end".

 

Gaius seemed slightly poetic, though that might just have been the standards of the times. Blake honestly wasn't sure.

 

_ The first step of Terminus Est is to infuse the blade with fire aspected energy. Crystal, Ceruleum, Magic, if you can use it, is also a viable source _ .

 

Blake put the book down, drawing Gambol Shroud from the sheath. Pouring her Aura into the blade, Blake watched the purple energy rising off it. If Magic was Aura, what did he mean by 'Fire Aspected'? Someone like Yang, who had a Semblance that invoked fire, maybe?

 

Whatever, it was pretty clear she didn't hit that measure, so she would have to use 'Crystal'. Lifting the sword, Blake glanced at the pages again, the diagram of an armored man swinging a long keyblade.

 

Breathing in, Blake pulled the trigger. The Dust hit her Aura, exploding into flames along the blade. Swinging her arm, she created a flaming X in the air, watching it crash into the wall. Alright, that was a step in the right direction. Now to figure out how to… uh, 'delay the blast until you desire to give the order'.

 

Blake turned, as the door opened, ready to talk to Yang and Pyrrha… only for her brain to stop, attempt to reboot, fail, and try again.

 

Was… was that a rodent? In clothes? In gloves?

 

Like, not a rodent  _ Faunus _ , because he had fur and ears and a tail and a nose and…  _ wha- _ !?

 

"Hey there!" He said in a high pitched voice, smiling at Blake and waving his hand, which was missing a finger, at her, "You wouldn't happen to know where Ruby Rose is, would ya?"

 

"Who? What are you!?" Blake asked, voice cracking as she was confronted with something she truly couldn't figure out, ears flattening against her skull.

 

"I'm Mickey Mouse," the mouse, apparently, said, "and I'm… well, it's in the name, isn't it? Who are you?"

 

"I- I'm-" Blake said, brain still trying to figure out what the hell she was looking at, "I-"

 

"Hey," Mickey said, stepping into the room entirely and walking towards her, "are you alright, pal? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

 

"I-" Blake hit into the wall, grabbing Gambol Shroud.

 

"Woah!" Mickey held up his hands, moving them forward in a calming gesture, "there's no need to do that! I'm just looking for a friend of mine. She's a bit shorter than you, has brown hair and silver eyes and wears-"

 

"I know who you mean," Blake said, finally finding her voice and lowering a shaking Gambol Shroud. 

 

"Oh, good!" Mickey said, the smile returning to his face, "I was worried I messed up again! Where is she?"

 

"Not here," Blake said, voice still on guard.

 

"Oh," Mickey's ears drooped, "so I did mess up. Can you tell me how to get to her?"

 

"Who are you looking for her?" Blake said.

 

Mickey looked up, "I'm part of a group with her. My teacher, Master Yen Si-"

 

Blake's Scroll went off, and she pulled it out and put it to her ear, watching Mickey warely, "Hello?"

 

"-ake!" Yang said, voice garbled, "-ack. Whe- -ou? M-  necti- -d."

 

"I can barely hear you," Blake said, "can you find me?"

 

"-at? -ind you!"

 

"Good," Blake said, hanging up, watching Mickey, "I'm going to meet some friends of Ruby. You can come along, but I'm watching you…"

 

"O...k?" Mickey said, "I don't know why you're watching me, but if it makes you feel any better… uh…?"

 

"Blake."

 

\--- X  **Yang** X---

 

Yang hit the call button, brushing her hand through Ven's hair, "See you around, buddy."

 

"Hel-?" Blake said, voice garbled, pitching up and down.

 

"Blake!" Yang said, wincing at the feedback, "We're getting ready to head back! Where are you? Man, the connection here is bad."

 

"I- -ly -ou," Blake's voice continued, "c- -in- -e?

 

"What?" Yang said, "You know what? We'll come find you!"

 

"G-d," Blake said, before hanging up.

 

"Couldn't hear her?" Pyrrha asked, holding Master Defender.

 

"Yeah," Yang said, swinging open the door, and stopping, "Pyrrha?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"I just want to make sure," Yang said, "we didn't go down stairs to get here, right?"

 

"No," Pyrrha shook her head, "Why?"

 

"Because there are stairs here now," Yang said, stepping to the side so Pyrrha could see the spiraling staircase in front of them. 

 

"Wha- how is that possible?" Pyrrha asked.

 

"Dunno," Yang said, deploying Ember Celica.

 

"Weapons out?" Pyrrha asked, drawing her shield from her back.

 

"No, I've got Ember Celica out because I wanna look cool," Yang said, stepping onto the first step of the stairs and pushing down on it. It didn't so much a shake.

 

"There's no reason to be rude," Pyrrha aakd, "it was just a question."

 

"Sorry," Yang said, "just… a bit off guard, since this place changed it's freakin' layout while we were in there!"

 

"It… is a bit concerni-" Pyrrha's words were cut off as the door swung shut behind her, a deep rumbling echoing from behind them. By the time they turned around, only a smooth wall lay in front of them, "scratch that, it's VERY concerning."

 

"Yeah," Yang said, "let's stick close, I don't want to get split up by accident."

 

"You think that's possible?" 

 

"Probably," Yang said, frowning, "Wonder why Ruby would send us into something out of a horror movie…"

 

"Maybe she wasn't thinking?" Pyrrha said, "You saw how tired she was, she- oh, no…"

 

"What?" 

 

"Blake," Pyrrha said, "She doesn't know!" 

 

"Crap," Yang grabbed her Scroll, hitting Blake's contact again, "Blake!"

 

"Wha-?" Blake said, voice crackling.

 

"This place is changing," Yang said, "Like, literally-"

 

Yang yelped as the staircase suddenly jerked forward, pushing her and Pyrrha up.

 

"Yang?" Blake said, "What's going on? We're at the-"

 

The door sprang open, throwing Yang out into hallway in front of Blake and a… giant mouse?

 

"Are you alright?" The Mouse asked, leaning down to help Yang up. Yang batted it away, turning towards Pyrrha, who was walking through the door. Her eyebrows jumping up as she saw the mouse.

 

"Fine," Yang said, crawling up and focusing on her partner, "Why didn't it throw you out?" 

 

"I don't know," Pyrrha said, frowning, before looking at the mouse with open mouth, "What?"

 

"I seem to be getting that question a lot today," the mouse said, "I'm Mickey Mouse, a friend of Ruby… and I guess, you, uh…?"

 

"Pyrrha. Why are we friends?" Pyrrha asked, "not that I don't want to be friends! But…"

 

Mickey held out his hand, a Keyblade appearing in it, "I'm like you!"

 

"Wha-? Oh!" Pyrrha said, pointing at Master Defender, "This isn't mine. I'm borrowing it from Ruby."

 

"Oh," Mickey said, lowering his Keyblade, "Ok…"

 

\--- X  **Pyrrha** X---

 

Pyrrha watched the anthropomorphic mouse holding a Keyblade. Well, if there was any part of her that doubted Yang's story (which there had been), it had just died a quick and brutal death. Because… yeah… mouse using a sword key. 

 

"You mind explaining what's going on here?" Blake said, bow tipping back, "because I'm about done with this. First we're in some sort of floating castle, then he shows up," Blake jerked a finger toward Mickey, "and now the portal is in a completely separate room and FLOOR from where we started!"

 

"It's… it's a bit of a long story," Yang said, scratching her face with one finger, "and it's more Ruby's than-"

 

"Then let's go," Blake snapped, stepping through the portal. Pyrrha shared a worried look with Yang before ducking in after their teammate, Mickey rushing right after them.

 

"Blake," Pyrrha said, "Ruby might not be ready to answer your questions."

 

"What?" Mickey said, "Why? What happened?"

 

"Ruby's back got hurt-"

 

"Fighting Vanitas," Mickey said, "I know. I healed it."

 

Vanitas? 

 

"Who?" Blake asked, stopping the blackness to turn to Mickey, "Ruby said something about Xehanort, not-"

 

"Vanitas was Xehanort's apprentice," Mickey said, pushing past Pyrrha and Yang with surprising strength for someone so small, "Did something happen after-?"

 

"A couple of the injuries on her back reop-" Blake was cut off by Mickey pushing her aside and rushing out of the portal, "Hey!"

 

When the three members of team RNBY followed, it was to a short man with ears like Mickey staring up at Professor Ozpin, who was pointing the bottom of his cane at the portal, sipping from his mug and flanked by Goodwitch and Qrow, "Ah, there you three are. I was just considering what to do about this portal. And who's your friend here?"

 

'Their friend' stood up straight, seeming to stand even with Ozpin even though the Headmaster had two feet on him, "I am Mickey Mouse, King Consort of Disney Castle-"

 

What…

 

"And I'm here to help my friend," Mickey said, touching Ruby's hand with one gloved hand. Her eyes flickered open, peering down at him.

 

"Mickey?" Ruby said, before her eyes rolled towards Blake, "'s that how your ears would look without the bow?"

 

Blake staggered back like she had been struck in the chest, eyes growing wide, mouth hanging open. Wait, what? Was Ruby… implying what Pyrrha thought she was?

 

"Then by all means," Ozpin said, "help her. But I must get rid of this portal."

 

"Go 'head," Ruby slurred, "I'll do it for ya."

 

"Go ahead or you'll do it for me, which is it, Miss Rose?"

 

"Really, Oz?" Qrow deadpanned.

 

"Trying to alleviate some of the tension," Ozpin said, "Don't wear yourself out, Miss Rose. I'll deal with it."

 

Energy seemed to form around Ozpin's cane, before he slashed through the portal, dispelling it.

 

\--- X  **AN** X---

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Kicks Status Quo Over*
> 
>  
> 
> *Unloads Six Shots Into It.*
> 
>  
> 
> Yes, before you ask, I was giggling malevolently as I wrote the first Blake section, and the first half of the second one.
> 
>  
> 
> So, thought, questions and opinions on the chapter? Good? Bad? Meh?


	15. Chapter 15

Putting this out now, since I'm going slightly mad.

 

\---X  **Glynda** X---

 

Glynda flanked Ozpin, even with Qrow as they stepped into the medical ward. It was first rate, had to be, when death and injury was a very real risk.

 

"Doctor Pele," Ozpin said, leaning on his cane, "Would you step out of the room for a few minutes?"

 

Hestia looked up, before nodding, standing and stepping past them, "More to do with my mysterious patient?"

 

"Yes," Ozpin said, stepping to the side so Pele could pass, "I'm sorry to pry your ward from you."

 

"You're headmaster," Hestia said, "it's well within your right. Besides, I missed lunch stitching her up, so I need something to eat anyways. Just… call me if things get worse. I told her father I didn't think she would go into shock, but it's always harder to tell with someone her age… I don't want another Gretchen."

 

"That wasn't your fault," Ozpin said, "it wasn't anyone's, Hestia."

 

"Sure," Hestia said, walking out, "I'll keep telling myself that."

 

Glynda watched Qrow's neck muscles grow tight, grabbing him by the shoulder as he moved to follow Hestia. He looked back at her, lips tight, "I shouldn't be here."

 

"She's your family," Glynda said, "stay with her."

 

Qrow's jaw jumped, before he turned back to them, head bowed, "Fine."

 

Ozpin strode over to the portal, eyes narrowed, "Now about this portal…"

 

"What about it?" Qrow asked, "it's a portal."

 

"You can't hear it?" Ozpin asked, lifting up his cane, "Its… whispering isn't quite the word. But it brings back memories best left forgotten, doesn't it?"

 

Glynda shared a look with Qrow, who shrugged, "No, sir."

 

"Really?" Ozpin said, "just me then? That's very intriguing, but I-"

 

Before Ozpin could finish, a bipedal mouse burst from the portal, head twisting around as it scanned the area. 

 

What. The. Hell.

 

Glynda's confusion only got worse as a haze overtook the mouse, replacing him with a man of similar height, wearing the same clothes, and with a pair of ears on top of his head. No, seriously-

 

"What the fuck?" Qrow hissed into her ear.

 

"How am I supposed to know?" Glynda hissed back, in agreement. What- how was she supposed to react to this?

 

Shortly after, the three members of team RNBY appeared through the portal, wide eyed. If Ozpin was bewildered by this, he didn't show it, just sipping from his cup, "Ah, there you three are. I was just considering what to do about this portal. And who's your friend here?"

 

Glynda dearly wished the day would come where she was as jaded to the  _ lunacy _ overtaking their lives as Ozpin was. She really, truly did.

 

"I," the mouse-man said, standing up straight, "am Mickey Mouse, king consort of Disney Castle and I'm here to help my friend."

 

And that day couldn't come soon enough. Because now they had a mouse king (sorry, king  _ consort _ ) standing in their infirmary, referring to Ruby Rose as his  _ friend _ .

 

Ruby's eyes jumped open, staring at Mickey, "Mickey?" Then to her partner,  "'S that how your ears would look without the bow?"

 

Blake staggered back, wide eyed, and jaw moving. Ozpin… didn't seem to care about the bombshell Ruby had just delivered to her team, "then by all means, help her. But I  _ must  _ get rid of this portal."

 

"Go 'head," Ruby said, "I'll do it for ya."

 

"Go ahead or you'll do it for me, which is it, Miss Rose?" Ozpin said, smiling down at the girl.

 

"Really, Oz?" Qrow said, the deadpan not hiding his clenched fist.

 

Trying to alleviate some of the tension," Ozpin said, energy forming around his staff, "Don't wear yourself out, Miss Rose. I'll deal with it."

 

Slashing through the portal, Ozpin closed his eyes, giving a relieved sigh, and planted his staff to the ground, "Your Majesty, if you wouldn't mind?"

 

"Right," Mickey nodded, eyes still trained on Ozpin, he held out his hand. Glynda nearly wanted to weep as  _ another damn Keyblade _ appeared in his hand, blue with white stars along the blade and a golden crescent moon and star suspended in defiance of gravity. Mickey moved too quickly for anyone to respond, pointing it at Ruby, "Miracle!"

 

Ruby was lifted off the bed, a white cocoon wrapping around her. Qrow drew Harbinger, pointing it at Mickey, ,"What did you-!"

 

"Qrow!" Ozpin snapped, pushing the sword down, "There's no need to escalate so suddenly. King Mickey-"

 

"Just call me Mickey," Mickey said, "I'm guessing there aren't many kings around these parts?"

 

'Around these parts' meaning 'this world', Glynda idly noted, "No."

 

"Then Mickey it is," Mickey said, smiling and pressing his sword on the ground… leaning his weight on it, Glynsda realized, "shouldn't be too much long-"

 

As if on cue, the shell broke, dropping Ruby back onto the bed with a dull thump. She sat up, rubbing my head, "oh, my… my… everything."

 

"That one took a lot outta me," Mickey said, "how're ya?"

 

"Better than before," Ruby said, "thanks Mick- what are you doing here?"

 

"Master Yen Sid sent me to check on you," Mickey said, "good thing too!"

 

"Yeah," Ruby said, "Ye-"

 

"I hate to interrupt," Ozpin said, "but it appears Miss Belladonna has… quite a few questions. Would you mind putting off your discussion until the morning, Mickey? We've plenty of rooms, though I'm afraid they might not be enough for one of your… stature."

 

Was that a comment on his height? Or his kingliness? Or both? Probably both, knowing Ozpin. 

 

"Oh, I don't need anything special," Mickey said, "but I'd be happy to wait. Friends come first, after all!"

 

"We're friends," Ruby protested.

 

"Still," Mickey said, "I think I scared Blake outta her wits, so I'll wait. Do you mind showing me where I'm supposed to be going, uh…?"

 

"Headmaster Ozpin," Ozpin said, "and these are Professor Glynda Goodwitch and Ruby's Uncle Qrow, We'd love to. Misses Xiao Long, Nikos, would you be so kind as to go let Tai know Ruby's awake?"

 

"I-" Yang started, eyes jumping between Ruby and Blake, "fine."

 

\--- X  **Blake** X---

 

Blake watched Ruby stand up on shaking legs, trying to find words. Ruby glanced around the room, before grabbing her Wayfinder and slipping it around her neck, and began a series of stretches. Like she hadn't been one foot in the grave a handful of minutes ago. Finally, Blake spoke up, "When did you figure it out?"

 

"Your ears?" Ruby said, "I knew something was up when Sora asked, then was sure when I saw your bow keep on moving. Sorry."

 

"Sorry?" Blake asked.

 

"You were trying to keep it a secret, right?" Ruby asked, stretching one arm out and pressing the other hand to that arms fingers, "I shouldn't've blurted it out like that."

 

"You… you don't care?" Blake asked, voice weak. The part of her brain that wasn't alternating between relief at that and worry that others would figure it out just as quickly, took the time to point out that Ruby was friends with a literal talking mouse, so it'd be a bit weird if she  _ did _ care.

 

"I'm sure you had your reasons," Ruby said, planting her hands on her back and cracking it.

 

It took a moment for Blake to realize Ruby had misunderstood the question, but at the same time, gave a decisive answer to it. To Ruby, Blake being a Faunus didn't even factor in beyond Blake wanting to keep it a secret. Blake couldn't help but gape at her partner as she caught Crescent Rose in a tide of dark fire, twirling the absurdity large sword with one hand, "I- yeah."

 

"Wanna talk about it?" Ruby asked, spinning her Keyblade towards the door. A slivery-white light shot out of the key, striking the door. A keyhole of the same light was etched into it, a resounding click echoing through the room. Blake's jaw fell open, watching it.

 

"Did you just lock that door?" Blake asked, eyeing the Keyblade.

 

"Uh… yeah?" Ruby said, "I mean, it's not like the key part is just for show… not that I'm implying you thought it was for show!"

 

"I'll make you a deal," Blake said, sitting down across from Ruby, "No more secrets."

 

"Uh… What?"

 

"I'll tell you everything," Blake said, pointing at Ruby. Ruby was going to find out if they went to Menagerie, "but only if you tell  _ me _ everything. What's up with that sword? Where did we go, both today and yesterday, and what the hell is up with the mouse-king-guy who was just here."

 

"Uh… okay?" Ruby said, "...What's up with the book?"

 

Blake blinked, realizing she hadn't let go of the book she had brought with her. She sheepishly offered it to Ruby, "Sorry, I grabbed this from… wherever that was. Do you-?"

 

"Keep it for now," Ruby said, glancing at the title, "that's a bit too advanced for Riku at this point."

 

"You sure? It must be rare."

 

"One of a kind, probably," Ruby said, "still, if you wanna read it, go ahead. Light knows the last time it was used."

 

"Ok," Blake said, "Where was that place?"

 

"What place?" Ruby asked.

 

"The place you sent us," Blake rolled her eyes.

 

"It was… it  _ was _ called the Land of Departure," Ruby said, leaning her head on Crescent Rose, "but it doesn't have a name anymore. It… it was my home for a long time."

 

"I'm sorry," Blake said, "What happened?"

 

"That's where this all begins," Ruby said.

 

\--- X Aqua X---

 

Aqua stepped into the town square, a relieved smile spread across her face as she saw the man sitting on one of the benches, "Terra!"

 

The man wearing Terra's clothes, minus the armor, looked up. He staggered up, clutching his head, "You…"

 

"Terra?" Aqua asked, stopping. Something wasn't right here…

 

"Who…? Are…? You…?" The man asked, a black miasma appearing around him. Oh,  _ no _ .

 

"Terra," Aqua said, moving closer to him, "You need to fight the Darkne-"

 

"I'm…! Not…! Terra…!" The man snarled, a Keyblade appearing in his hand in a flash of black lightning. Aqua swung Brightcrest up, a silent reflera blocking the strike, letting Aqua stare at Xehanort's Keyblade.

 

"Xehanort," Aqua snarled, staring into the golden eyes.

 

"Xehanort… Yes, that's-"

 

Aqua silently burst the barrier, sending him skidding back and standing up, "Give me back Terra."

 

"Terra is gone," Xehanort said, "buried to never retu-"

 

"I said," Aqua said, grip on Brightcrest growing tight, "give me back Terra, or pay the price."

 

"You can try," Xehanort said, lifting up his Keyblade, "but it won't happen."

 

"If that's your decision," Aqua said, preparing herself. Lunging forward, she swung Brightcrest for Xehanort's chest, his Keyblade snapping up to block the strike, pushing her away from him. Aqua landed on the rooftops, throwing up another barrier to block his follow through.

 

"Is this all you can do, Aqua?" Xehanort taunted in Terra's voice, "Cower behind a shield? I can't see why Eraqus chose-"

 

"Burst," Aqua hissed out, eyes glowing. The barrier shattered, shards impaling in his chest and sending him flying back. Swinging Brightcrest repeatedly, Aqua sent hundreds of bolts of blue fire at Xehanort. Pulling back her arm, a compressed ball of blue fire ignited in her hand, "Firaja!"

 

The blast sent Xehanort flying away, and Aqua kicked off after him, running over rooftops as she went. She wouldn't lose him.

 

Coming over a rooftop, Aqua's eyes grew wide at the sudden spike of darkness below. Swinging her arms out, Aqua formed a barrier of glass, golden chains reinforcing it, "Reflectja!"

 

"Unholy!" Xehanort barked, a massive of black energy smashing into Aqua's spell, sending it flying into the air and shattering. Xehanort appeared above her, black energy rising off his body, "just give up-"

 

Give up?  _ give up!? _

 

"I'm not gonna give up until I have Terra back," Aqua snapped, deflecting Xehanort's next attack. Planting a hand on his chest, Aqua span them so she was above him, energy crackling along her arm, "Thunderja!"

 

_ My friend, the fates are cruel _

 

Lightning blasted him into the fountain, giving Aqua the chance to run her hand down the blade of Brightcrest. The Keyblade began to glow and writhe, and Aqua released the Zero-Gravity spell keeping her in the air. Landing in front of Xehanort, Aqua launched into a flurry of blows.

 

_ There are no dreams, no honor remains _

 

Seven attacks, seven blocked, all too fast for anyone but an experienced warrior to hope to keep up with. Finally, Aqua and Xehanort were left staring at each other, keyblades grinding against each other as water from the fountain rained around them, having been kicked up from the shockwave of the attacks.

 

_ The arrow has left the bow of the goddess _

 

As one, the Keyblade Masters raised their free hands, magic gathering in them. As one, they launched the attacks at each other, all attempts to dodge or block the attack abandoned. This was Aqua's only chance to stop Xehanort easily, and if she knew that… he knew it.

 

"Unholy!"

 

_ My soul, corrupted by vengeance _

 

"Flare!"

 

_ Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey _

 

Both of them were blasted back from each other, sliding across the slick stone of the fountain. Aqua staggered upright, winded but otherwise unharmed.

 

How was that possible? That spell should have been just as strong as hers!

 

"You defy me?" Xehanort snarled, pronounced burns along his neck and Terra's shirt in tatters, showing off the physique that Eraqus had spent years training him to, "fine then!"

 

Aqua watched Xehanort turn his keyblade on himself, his shadow warping and stretching. Not if she could stop it. Aqua pointed Brightcrest at his feet, cast a nonverbal Blizzaja.

 

The water around Xehanort jumped up, freezing him. Good, now-

 

" **NNNNMNNNOOOOOOOAAAAAAAA"** Aqua staggered back as the shadow screamed, bandages forming around its mouth. A punch shattered the ice around Xehanort, who stepped forward with a laugh.

 

"Was that your plan?" Xehanort said, "Kill her."

 

The shadow didn't move.

 

_ In my own salvation _

_ And your eternal slumber _

 

"I said-" Xehanort said, turning to the creature, "Kill-"

 

There!

 

Aqua rushed forward, batting Xehanort down onto the ground away from the fountain. He turned, deflecting the next strike.

 

"Fine," He said, raising a hand, "I'll do it myself. Descend, Heartless Archangel!"

 

Aqua staggered back, feeling like someone had just dropped a hundred tons on her, and sliding to her knees. What…?"

 

"Goodbye,  _ Master _ Aqu-"

 

"Stop!" Aqua looked up, watching Kairi standing at the entrance, a rock in her hand which she threw at Xehanort, who casually deflected it, "Leave her alone!

 

Aqua breathed in. She was going to only get one chance at this.

 

_ Legend shall speak _

_ Of sacrifice at world's end _

 

"A… Princess?" Xehanort said, focusing on Kairi and stepping away from Aqua, "How convenient. I was looking for one. Grab the girl, send her to the Realm."

 

The creature started to move, and Aqua did the same, uttering the last words of the incantation aloud, "The wind sails over the water's surface! Quietly, but surely! Apocalypse!"

 

A red seal burned into the sky above them as Aqua fired an orb the same color into it. A massive bolt of red lightning launched down, hitting Xehanort, his Keyblade vanishing as he twitched and spasmed before crumpling to the ground, completely unmoving. Aqua threw herself forward, pushing Kairi to the side, she mouthed 'run' as the massive hand wrapped around her. The last thing she saw before the portal the creature formed overtook her was a wide eyes Kairi following that request. Pointing a pair of men one with slicked back, auburn hair and an axe in hand, the other with black hair and a spear, towards them.

 

_ Ruby… Mickey… take care of her… _

 

\--- X  **Blake** X---

 

"-and met this tiny blue alien called Six-Two-"

 

"Ok," Blake said, cutting off Ruby and rubbing her temples, "stop."

 

"-Six…" Ruby finished, "What?"

 

"This is…" Blake had a million things she wanted to call it, many of them incredibly rude. Children who never grew up? An arena of gods? Miners with dwarfism!? "I thought we agreed to no more secrets?"

 

"I… I haven't been keeping any secrets," Ruby said, eyebrows wrinkled, "Do you want me to go into more detail or something?"

 

Haven't been keeping any- "So I'm just supposed to believe that you've been off world for the last few years, met aliens, gods-"

 

"Demi-gods," Ruby corrected.

 

"-Whatever that means," Blake said.

 

"Well, Demi means 'half'," Ruby said, "so Demi-god would probably mean 'half a god.'

 

"You know what Demi means off the top of your head."

 

"Spatial Magic is my specialty, the lowest level Gravity spell is called Demi… I can't remember the last time I cast it, though."

 

Yeah. There was also that. Magic was real, according to her partner.

 

"Yeah, why's that?" Blake snarked.

 

"Just isn't worth it. Might as well cast something bigger, like my Malice Strikes."

 

"Malice Strikes?" Blake asked.

 

"You know, my sword… blast… things…

 

"No, I don't know," Blake said.

 

"You don't?" Ruby asked, "I coulda sworn I used it in front of you once."

 

"No," Blake said, "I don't think you di-"

 

Alrighty then!" Ruby grabbed her sword from the ground. A black sheen running up it Blake's only warning before Ruby swung her arm up. A black-red burst of energy flew across the gap between the aisles of beds, warbling discordantly. Blake's ears immediately flattened against her head. But that wasn't the worst part.

 

That was the way the space in front of it seemed to fold unnaturally, only to spring apart in the wake of the blast. Just looking at it confused Blake. What? How?

 

The blast suddenly cut out, fading into wisps of energy. Blake practically jumped out of her skin as Ruby's hand landed on her, realizing she had begun to clutch her head in pain. Ruby was crouching down, a worried look on her face,"Sorry. I'm so used to spatial magic, I forgot that it gives people seeing it headaches. It was like that for me the first time too, if it makes you feel any better." 

 

"So maybe I'm willing to believe you about magic," Maidens knew she had seen enough hints of that, Blake thought as Ruby walked towards the windows, "but what about other worlds? You really expect me to-"

 

"I know!" Ruby said, smiling and grabbing Blake's hand. A portal opened behind her, Ruby dragged Blake into it, her Keyblade appearing in her other hand as they went.

 

"Where are we goi-" Blake stopped, staring out at the sight before her. In front of them was Remnant, the entire planet. mouth moving silently as Blake looked down, she found dark grey dirt below her feet. No way… this couldn't possibly be-

 

"Welcome," Ruby said, cheerfully and triumphantly, stabbing her sword into the ground, "to the moon!"

 

\---X  **Ruby** X---

 

Ruby watched Blake step around the lunar… uh… crud, what did Aqua say the darker parts were called on moons again?

 

Whatever, it wasn't really important now.

 

"B- but," Blake stuttered, reaching down and picking up a rock, throwing it into the air, it slowly came back down, landing in Blake's hand like a feather, "How? Scientists think there's no air on the moon, no-"

 

"There isn't," Ruby said, pointing to the haze about fifty feet out, "I'm using a spell to make it. If you went past that point, you'd suffocate pretty quickly… well, not any more quickly than if you were suffocating for any other reason, but you get the point."

 

"Why do you know a spell to do that?" Blake asked, stopping her pacing, turning to Ruby with wide eyes. Ruby reached out, tapping Crescent Rose. The eye flashed, a small airship flashing into existence in front of Blake, "What that..

?"

 

"Keyblade Glider," Ruby said, running a hand along the throne before tapping the eye in the center again, returning it to the form of a sword impaled in the rock of the- Mare! That's what they were called, mares!

 

...Why'd someone name them after horses? That was a weird thing to do, "It's how we would get around more often. I only learned about making the Corridors a few weeks back. So Master Eraqus taught us how to make a bubble of air, that way we didn't die from… uh…?"

 

"Asphyxiation?" Blake asked.

 

"Yeah, that, while traveling from one world to another… it was the first thing he taught me."

 

"Why not just teach you how to use the Corridor things?" Blake asked.

 

"I don't think Master Eraqus knew how to," Ruby said, "He isn't the one who taught me to open them."

 

"Then who did?" Blake said.

 

"I don't know his name, " Ruby admitted, stepping away from Crescent Rose and sitting down to watch Remnant. She had known, roughly, which star had been Remnant's in the Land, but she had never seen anything quite like this, "he calls himself the Master of Masters-"

 

"Soz he's modest," Blake said.

 

"Not at all," Ruby said, "The Master… he does what he wants, when he wants, for reasons only he knows. He gave me Crescent Rose, and I'm still not sure  _ why _ ."

 

"...You know I was being sarcastic, right?" Blake said, leaning her hands on Crescent Rose, "I could tell by what he called himself that he wasn't modest."

 

"Oh," Ruby said. She still didn't have a Mastery- heh- of sarcasm, in spite of the Master's per- per- like of it, "Yeah."

 

"So there are other worlds out there?" Blake said, pushing off of the sword to sit back-to-back with Ruby, looking up, "How many?"

 

"As many as there are lights in the night sky," Ruby said, looking up at them, "The story goes that once there was one world, where everyone lived, and it was full of light. And the biggest place in it, Daybreak Town, was ruled by Seven Keyblade Masters stronger than any other, with five of them each leading an army of Keyblade Wielders.  Eventually, things went wrong, and the armies went to war to have the light. 'On that fated land, a great war transpired. Darkness prevailed and the light expired.' They destroyed the world, destroyed the light they were fighting over… except for one type. The Light in the hearts of kids, who made smaller worlds and started over again. And the Keybladers who survived the war swore to protect those worlds, to make up for the destruction they had done."

 

"That's depressing," Blake said, "Even if it isn't real."

 

"You don't think so?" Ruby asked.

 

"It seems a bit fantastic," Blake said.

 

"Anymore than talking mouses or other worlds?"

 

"Mice."

 

"What?"

 

"It's mice, not 'mouses'," Blake said.

 

"Oh."

 

"I'm not saying none of it is true," Blake said, "just that I don't think all of that could be true. How would we know?"

 

"The Keyblade Wielders who survived?" Ruby said.

 

"Maybe," Blake said.

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, first confirmed Limit Breaks used, a situational Badass Decay to the Guardian (remember that he will literally suplex Aqua in BBS?), and Blake didn't spend quite as much time melting down over her destroyed world view as you might expect (though that's far from over).
> 
>  
> 
> Thoughts, Questions and Opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?


	16. Chapter 16

Yang woke up, grabbing her Scroll and hitting the button to take the call, "What is it, dad?"

 

"Ruby's not in the medical ward," Tai said, sounding out of breath, "is she with you girls?"

 

Yang looked around, noticing Blake and Pyrrha in their beds, but not Ruby, "No. One sec. Guys, get up."

 

"What?" Blake asked, sitting up, bow twitching. Or was it her ears, if Ruby was right? "It's five in the morning, Yang."

 

"Ruby's missing," Yang reported.

 

"What is wrong with your sister?" Blake asked, sighing, "does she have ADHD or something?"

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yang demanded with a scowl.

 

"Just that she can't seem to-"

 

"She's in the sparring arena," Pyrrha said.

 

"How do you know that?" Yang asked, turning to her. Pyrrha held up her Scroll, the short range tracker showing a map of Beacon, with Ruby clearly where Pyrrha said she was, "I forgot our scrolls had that…"

 

"We've only had them a few days," Blake said, "C'mon, we might as well see what she's doing."

 

"Yeah," Yang agreed, shoving her fists in her pajamas pockets… "So, how'd things go with you and Ruby's date?"

 

"Really?" Blake asked, voice dripping with sarcasm.

 

"What? You're the ones who locked the door," Yang drawled.

 

"We talked," Blake said, opening the door, "She told me a bit about her life with Eraqus, I told her a bit about my life before Beacon. Nothing else. It's been a couple of days, now you decide to ask?"

 

"I've been busy keeping notes for Ruby," Yang said with a shrug, "or training with da-"

 

All three jumped at the sound of clashing metal, and Yang rushed forward to see what was going on.

 

Mickey was hovering in the air, pressing his Keyblade against Ruby's. Ruby was holding Crescent Rose with one hand, feet dragging back as Mickey pushed off, spinning and swinging his Keyblade against Crescent Rose again. This time, Ruby moved, throwing him backwards with a heavy shove of Crescent Rose and following it up with a pair of red-black blasts, the space between her and Mickey vanishing, she drove her sword towards him, only for Mickey to land on the edge of the blade, launching an orb of white light at Ruby, who let go, dodging the shot before summoning her Keyblade back to her, Mickey landing on the ground.

 

\--- X  **Ruby** X---

 

Ruby slipped out of the hospital ward as quietly as possible, slipping her black coat over her arms once she was far enough away that the chains wouldn't draw anyone's attention…

 

Or it wouldn't have, if Mickey hadn't come around the corner just then, the glamour around him flickering to Ruby's eyes, before she threw it off. The illusion of the unusually short man vanishing entirely, letting Ruby smile at the mouse, "Hey!"

 

"Hey there!" Mickey said, "I'm glad to see you're up!"

 

"Doctor Pele probably wouldn't agree," Ruby joked, "Come on, let's go."

 

"Go where?" Mickey asked.

 

"There's an arena near my room," Ruby said, "I wanna get back to training."

 

"Are you sure?" Mickey said, "You were-"

 

"I'm fine," Ruby said, looking at Mickey with wide eyes, "C'mon, please train with me? The robots they have for it are  _ boring _ ."

 

"...Fine," Mickey sighed, "at least if I'm with you, I can heal ya more if you need it."

 

"Thanks," Ruby said, smiling at Mickey, before noticing the white pendant around his neck, the demand rising up before she had the chance go clamp down on it, "Where'd you get that?"

 

"This?" Mickey said, "Aqua gave it to me."

 

"When?" Ruby asked, hungry for information.

 

"A couple of days ago. She stopped by Master Yen Sid's tower to ask him some stuff," Mickey said, "I tried to get her to come here, but she wanted to go to Radiant Gardens to look for Terra!"

 

"Thanks," Ruby said, briefly considering hugging the mouse, before shrugging and kneeling down to do so, "Really, I mean it."

 

"She didn't listen," Mickey said, returning the hug.

 

"Still," Ruby said, "Thanks. It gives me a place to look this weekend. Now, let's get to training."

 

The duo made it to the room quickly, Ruby summoning Crescent Rose while Mickey grabbed his own Keyblade from the air, "Ready?"

 

"Yeah," Ruby nodded.

 

"Alrighty, then," Mickey said, before launching himself at her, Keyblade swinging for her head. Ruby ducked, wrapping a hand around Mickey's leg and slamming him into the ground so hard he let go of his Keyblade, flipping Crescent Rose so she could stab down. A Reflect spell sprang to life, blocking the attack while Mickey rolled away from it and summoned his Keyblade back to his hand.

 

Ruby let go of Crescent Rose, dodging the flurry of strikes with her Semblance. Left, right, up, down, diagonally- there!

 

Ruby caught Crescent Rose, stabbing at Mickey. The king span in the air, dodging the blade. His Keyblade lashed out, slipping past Ruby's guard and nicking her cheek. Ruby reactivated her Semblance, dodging away from Mickey, and cradled the injury. Her Aura was already healing the flesh would, but just to be safe, "Cure!"

 

The cool, refreshing feeling of the healing magic washed over the injury, knitting the flesh back together without so much as a scar. Ruby looked over to Mickey, who had landed with a worried frown, "Are you-?"

 

"Dark Fire!" Ruby called, a bolt of white and purple fire launching at Mickey. 

 

"Bright Fira!" Mickey responded, a pair of golden flames dancing around his arm before fusing at the hand, blasting forward and exploding against Ruby's spell. Mickey came flying through the flames and smoke, swinging at Ruby's head. Ruby blocked the attack the best she could, feeling her arm protest the strike from her friend and beginning to be pushed back. Mickey twirled in the air again, swinging his Keyblade for Ruby's head. Ruby flashed Crescent Rose up, blocking the attack before pushing him back.

 

_ Don't look now, but you've got company _ , The Master intoned as Ruby pulled back Crescent Rose, slashing through the air with a pair of Malice Strikes. Mickey finished his flip in the moment Ruby was distracted glancing over at her sister and team, landing on Crescent Rose and firing a Pearl at her. Ruby let go of Crescent Rose, dodging backwards in flurry of petals.

 

Lowering herself, Ruby caught Crescent Rose, energy forming along the blade, before she launched the first spike of spatial magic at Mickey, following it up with a second and third, all three of which Mickey easily deflected. Ruby pushed off the ground, rushing across the gap and stabbing for Mickey. Behind her, two more blasts of magic went off, creating a pair of arcs around her to pin Mickey in place. And-

 

"Stopga!" Mickey said, before vanishing from Ruby's sight, planting a foot on her back and pressing his Keyblade to the side of her neck… before letting go and offering her a hand up, "Sorry, Ruby. That was really, really low of me."

 

"I didn't say no time magic," Ruby said, "So it was fair. Hey! What's up!?"

 

"What's up?" Yang asked, "Ruby, you snuck out of the med ward!"

 

"I'm better," Ruby protested, "They were keeping me there for no reason."

 

\--- X  **Blake** X---

 

Blake trailed behind the rest of her team (and Mickey) as they went to the cafeteria, Gaius's book pressed against her chest as she warred with herself. Guilt gnawed at her stomach as Ruby talked with Mickey, silver eyes sparkling with joy.

 

No more secrets, Blake had said. That they would tell each other everything. 

 

But when the time had come, Blake hadn't been able to bring herself to tell Ruby about her history with the White Fang. She had intended to, really, she had… but there was something refreshing, healing about 'just' being a Faunus. Something she was sure would have broken if she had revealed her connections to what was widely considered a terrorist movement.

 

But were they wrong? The Fang had used assassinations, had turned what were supposed to be peaceful protests bloody. How were they  _ not _ a terrorist organization?

 

She'd tell Ruby eventually, but for now, they could just be normal friends… or as normal as friends could be when one of them was apparently a guardian of the universe. And friends with a mouse-king-guy who was also one of those guardians. 

 

So not normal at all. But they could at least pretend they were. And Blake couldn't remember the last time she had been remotely close to normal.

 

And if half of what Ruby had told her was true… well, Ruby probably hadn't been normal since the day she was handed an oversized key and told to guard worlds from something trying to destroy them. She had been training since then, practically nonstop.

 

That, at least, put Ruby's determination to train Riku in new light. If this chain of training had gone on for a fraction of the time Ruby claimed it did, of course Ruby would feel the need to carry on that legacy. Even if she was doing it unhealthily, as she didn't want to and Riku was too young.

 

If they ever met Terra and Aqua, Blake was having Yang punch them for saddling Ruby with that job. Aqua should have done it herself, if it was so important, and Terra shouldn't have 'picked' (whatever that meant. Ruby hadn't elaborated on it, and Blake hadn't felt the need to ask for elaboration at the time) someone so young.

 

"Hey," Yang said, slowing down so she was even with Blake.

 

"What?"

 

"You just look… angry. What's up?"

 

"I'm not angry," Blake muttered, gripping the book tighter.

 

"Sure you aren't. What's wrong."

 

"Just… don't worry about it."

 

"Got something to do with Keyblader stuff, doesn't it?"

 

Blake looked at Yang, jaw dropping open, "You know?"

 

"She's my sister, Blake. Of course I know. So, what is it?"

 

"...What were Aqua and Terra thinking, leaving Ruby to train a little kid?"

 

"Good question," Yang said, "I'll get back to you if I ever get an answer."

 

"You don't know?"

 

"No," Yang said, "And trust me, I wish I did."

 

"Yeah," Blake said, stepping into the cafeteria alongside Ruby… who was staring at the news scrawl on one of the Scrolls around the room, mouth hanging open, "Ruby? What's-"

 

"I… did I do that?" Ruby asked weakly, pointing at the screen showing Roman Torchwick's face, the subtitles below the muted screen telling of the results in the investigation into his death.

 

\--- X  **Ruby** X---

 

Ruby collapsed into the nearest chair, eyes wide as she watched the screen. Her left hand clenched, summoning Crescent Rose in a defensive instinct. 

 

She had, of course, been trained about killing. It was too big a possibility to  _ not _ teach her about it. She had even thought she was ready to kill, during her duel with Braig. And she had killed Unversed, Grimm and regular animals more than she could keep count… but that didn't compare with the actual knowledge that she had resulted in the death of a man, even a bad guy like Roman Torchwick.

 

Ruby felt tears prickle at the corner of her eyes, clutching her Wayfinder close while her mind ran through the possibilities. Had the crash injured him more than she thought? Or had she landed a bad hit on him during the fight before that?

 

Ruby's grip on the Wayfinder became vice-like, searching. No Terra, no Ven, no Aqua, no Zack, just Rita and-

 

Ruby looked up as Mickey reached out, wrapping his hand around hers through the cloud of Darkness forming around her. Mickey gave a soft smile, Light pushing the cloud away, and pulled Ruby into another hug. Ruby closed her eyes, tears running down her face.

 

"It's not your fault, sis," Yang said, planting a hand on her shoulder, "the creep was killed by someone else."

 

"Yes," Pyrrha said, "He was found murdered in his hospital room, apparently after a struggle. It couldn't have been you."

 

"Someone like that would have a lot of enemies, and a lot of people he worked with that would want to keep him quiet," Blake agreed, "it was a hit, not anything to do with you, Ruby."

 

"But-" Ruby's voice warbled, ignoring the eyes on her, "but if I didn't stop him-"

 

"He'd be hitting up stores," Yang said, "You did the right thing, Rubes. This was just karma coming back to kick him in the ass."

 

"O-" Ruby's voice died, eyes growing wide, "-h, crud…"

 

"What?" Pyrrha said.

 

"I need to go somewhere this weekend," Ruby said, "to check on a friend."

 

"Sounds like fun," Yang said.

 

"...What?"

 

"We're coming, aren't we?" Yang said, "Team RNBY, off on an adventure."

 

"But-" Ruby started, before stopping, smiling at Yang, "Thanks."

 

"Anytime," Yang grinned, "Right guys?"

 

"Of course," Pyrrha said.

 

"Yeah," Blake said, flicking through the book in her hands, "now, we should probably start eating before classes start."

 

"I'll come to," Mickey said, "if a friend of yours in in trouble, then a friend of mine is too!"

 

Ruby nodded, smiling at the quartet. Hang on, Zack, they were coming.

 

\---X  **Ruby** X---

 

_ Ruby ran along the side of the cliff, firing a clutter of blasts at the grinning man, who fired his own set of arrows at hers, the bolts colliding in air, exploding and carving holes into the cliff face. Ruby hopped over them, switching Crescent Rose back into a sword as she swung down, pulling the trigger to send flash vibrations down the blade. Seconds before impact, space warped, earth suddenly appearing below her as she drove the blade in deep.  _

 

_ "Wow," Braig laughed, standing just out of the range of the attack, "that looked like it woulda hurt, good thing it missed." _

 

_ "Shut," Ruby snarled, swinging her sword up, a blast of magic sailing across the gap, "Up!" _

 

_ Seconds before it hit Braig, he vanished, the slash warping the ground where he had been. The hair on Ruby's neck stood up, and she whirled in place, a reflega blocking the shots from Braig. Through the glassy barrier, Ruby saw Braig press the butt of one crossbow to the front of the other, and they seemed to fuse, his hand flicking up the handle to the one in front before he teleported away, appearing on the cliff across from her. Despite the gap between them, Ruby heard Braig's voice loud and clear, "Sorry, kid. Let's try this again next go around, eh?" _

 

_ Ruby dropped the barrier as Braig fired on her, watching a massive shot rip across the gap, space twisting around it. Grabbing what magical energy she could, Ruby swung out her arms, " _ **_STOPGA_ ** _!" _

 

_ All around her, the sound of grinding gears echoed, the colors inverting for a second as the sphere of stopped time formed around Braig and his shot. Turning, Ruby rushed up the cliff face, feeling sweat pouring down her brow as she counted the seconds. _

 

_ One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine- _

 

_ Ruby landed on the cliff and rolled behind a rock just as time resumed, feeling the cliff shake as the shot hit where she had been. Ruby looked up at the blue moon in the sky, before breathing in, summoning Crescent Rose in rifle form and popping it and her head over the top of the rock, aiming at Braig's head as he turned away. _

 

_ "Alright," Ruby muttered to herself, finger on the trigger, "Sorry to tell you, but I win here." _

 

_ Ruby hesitated, breathing in. She could do this, she  _ **_had_ ** _ to do this. Forcing her finger to pull, Ruby watched the shot fly across the gap, right for Braig's head as he began to head towards Aqua and Ventus. _

 

_ At the last second, he turned, yellow eye staring at her and freezing the shot in mid-air half an inch from his face. Ruby felt like ice had dropped into her gut as the shot disintegrated and Braig vanished, turning and swinging Crescent Rose for his head. Space warped again, letting Braig avoid the attack with little more than a simple sway. _

 

_ "Well," Braig said, dodging another attack. His weapons were gone, hands in his pockets, "That was close! You coulda blown my head off with that shot!" _

 

_ That was kinda the point! _

 

_ Ruby picked up speed, slashing for him over and over again, only for each attack to miss. That was… _

 

_ It! That was it! _

 

_ Ruby swung her sword again, Malice wrapping around the blade as she did and warping the space between her and Braig counter to his own manipulation. Crescent Rose bit into his chest, cutting through the jacket and shirt underneath, glancing off his ribcage in a spray of blood.  _

 

_ Braig reached up, touching the wound while Ruby sank to her knees, panting for breath, "I go- I got you!" _

 

_ "Yeah, I guess you did," Braig said, before swinging his arm down over the injury, healing it while his jacket and shirt fell off, "but you couldn't follow through, huh?" _

 

_ "What?" _

 

_ "That should have cut through me like a knife through butter," Braig said, nodding to Crescent Rose, "Would've too, if you actually wanted me dead." _

 

_ "I- I do!" Ruby said, gulping down air through her helm. _

 

_ "If you wanted me dead, I'd be dead," Braig said, before grabbing a longsword from midair, purple metal seeming to drink the blue light above them, "You remind me of a couple of people I knew, ya know? They were Masters, but it took everything being on the line for them to fight another person with the intention to kill 'em. I hope you don't end up like them, kiddo." _

 

_ "What's-?" _

 

_ Before Ruby could finish, Braig suddenly appeared in front of her, slashing her across the chest and off the cliff. _

 

_ The last thing she saw before she smashed into the ground between Ven and Aqua was Braig turn away and look up at the blue moon, before walking through a Dark Corridor. _

 

\--- X  **Weiss** X---

 

Weiss watched Ruby be comforted by her team, biting the inside of her cheek and gripping her utensils so hard they groaned, before looking down at her steak and eggs. Why couldn't her team be like that?

 

Instead she had a hyperactive dolt and a quiet… whatever Ren was, that second guessed her decisions as a leader. Didn't they understand she was trying to keep them safe? Ozpin had named her leader for a reason!

 

And Goodwitch agreed with her, keeping Jaune around was a recipe for disaster. They were going to have to focus on their own classes and studies, they shouldn't have to deal with catching Jaune up to their level too!

 

Weiss glanced at Jaune out of the corner of her eye, watching him stare down at his cereal with a pale look on his face. He hadn't taken a bite since they got to the cafeteria, and he hadn't said a word since they got a message from Professor Goodwitch about a meeting at the end of the day.

 

At least this headache would be over and done with soon, and she could go back to worrying about herself.

 

\---

 

Luxu cut down a black shadow, stepping onto the top of the tower as the creature leaked blood below. Stopping as the thing grabbed his leg, Luxu span his new Keyblade in place, ripping into the head and kicking the body away, "What the hell are these things, anyways?"

 

"Human ingenuity at its finest," the Master said, strolling around the top of the orange and white tower, "followed by humanity's unending ability to fuck everything over for themselves at its finest."

 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luxu asked.

 

"This world was fine," the Master said, "just fine for a long,  _ long  _ time… then one day, a giant, a dragon and a bloodthirsty fool fell from the sky from another world. And that world and this one… they weren't compatible, Luxu. The giant carried a disease that drove half the people who caught it mad, the other half got transmuted into a cooking ingredient!"

 

"...What?"

 

"Salt, Luxu. They got turned into salt."

 

"Then why not just say salt?" Luxu asked, "and where do these shadow things come in? They remind me of the Hear-"

 

"I was getting to that," The Master said, cutting Luxu off, "anyways. They, er… 'they' being humanity, figured out how to remove their hearts, leaving androids to kill the disease while they waited… but keeping their sanity was reliant on one of the Hearts, and he, like an idiot, provoked his body into killing him. They're Heartless now, Luxu, plain and simple. Which is why I'm here! I'm thinking about dragging Lux here at some point, give her a bit of practice sealing the keyhole, keep this world from going the way of Daybreak Town. Anyways, how's the old man?"

 

"He's younger than us," Luxu said.

 

"The kid then," the Master said.

 

"He woke up," Luxu said, rolling his eye, "but says he doesn't remember a thing."

 

"Good," the Master nodded, "Good. Glad to hear everything is going the way it should've. Make sure he doesn't remember anything… and maybe take a trip to this world's Germany, there's something that might help you there."

 

What was that supposed to mean?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Worried gulp
> 
>  
> 
> I, uh... I really don't know how people will react to this chapter. And that stresses me right the hell out. But here it is.

 

\--- X  **Terra** X---

 

Terra stepped into the cellar of the ruins at the heart of an equally ruined city, gauntlets still holding the swords he had fought Braig with. Turning his head, Terra took in the five glowing crystals that seemed to grow from stone mosaics of animals on the walls, all pointed to a suit of Keyblade Armor seated on a throne in the center of the room, its left arm missing. Leaning against it was a long scimitar-like Keyblade, a black crescent rising from two prongs towards the tip of the blade to from the teeth. Terra took another step forward, the armor looked up, " **Do you know not that it is disgraceful to enter a tomb unbidden?** "

 

" **This is a tomb?** ” Terra asked in response, looking around the room. He didn't see anything that made it look particularly tomb-like.

 

" **Not unbidden, but unknowing,** " the armor said, red eyes flashing in the white faceplate of the armor, " **Yes, this is a tomb.** **_My_ ** **tomb.** "

 

" **Using it a bit early, aren't you?** "

 

The other man chuckled, the noise distorting in the helm to an almost demonic sound, " **It would look so, would it not? But no, I am exactly where I should be. The man I once was reached too far, took a pact he should not have and lost everything to it. And so here I remain. Tell me, those blades aren't yours, are they?** "

 

" **No, my Keyblade was stolen,** " Terra said begrudgingly. He was going to eviscerate Braig when he got his hands on him.

 

" **My condolences,** " the man said, " **Truly. I know what it's like, like having a limb pried from you.** "

 

Terra's 'eyes' flitted over to the Keyblade resting against the throne. The other man seemed to notice it, laughing again, " **This? This isn't my Keyblade. I'm merely… borrowing it. But I will make you a deal. Defeat me, and the blade is yours to use.** "

 

" **Wouldn't the owner be angry you gave it away?** "

 

" **No,** " the man said, " **So, will you do it?** "

 

Terra looked at the Keyblade, mind jumping to Ven, Ruby, Aqua…

 

**_Braig._ **

 

**_Xehanort_ ** .

 

Terra nodded, " **Yes.** "

 

" **Good,** " the man stood, grabbing the blade next to him and swinging his arm. The crystals around them exploded, the dull light glowing a second longer before flicking out, leaving only the red glower of the man as the rest of his black armor melted into the darkness" **Then let this obsidian blade rend you to your very being!** "

 

Terra swung up the Keyblades, the man appearing in front of him and smashing his sword into them, sending Terra flying out of the tomb and into the sky. Terra watched him ascend the stairs in a rush of pitch, weaving through the Keyblades to follow the airborne Keyblader. Terra landed hard, rolling up onto his feet just in time to deflect the next strike from the one armed warrior. Despite that handicap, Terra found himself struggling to keep the sword from pushing closer, the metal of his arms shaking as he pushed against the Keyblade.

 

" **Accept your end,** " the man said, black and purple flames rising off him as he pushed further, " **Embrace-** "

 

" **Quake!** " Terra snapped, slamming his foot into the ground. The earth around them shattered and was thrown into the air, separating Terra from the man and sending over two dozen Keyblades into the air. Impaling the two he was using into the ground beneath his feet, Terra caught two others, eyes trained on him opponent, “ **Shin-!** "

 

" **Zantetsuken-** " 

 

" **Zantetsuken!** "

 

" **Gaeshi!** "

 

Terra jumped off the rock with both Keyblades bared, rocketing towards the other man in a flash of speed. The man just swept his Keyblade up, shattering Terra's Keyblades and sending him crashing against the fragment of ground he had lept from. Terra watched as the man drew his sword back, before slashing an X into the air, leaving a vacuum of air in its wake," **Let this be your end…** "

 

Terra had seconds to think before the attack blasted down at him. Grabbing the swords from below him, he slammed his foot into the stone he was on to flip it and watched the sun baked stone split into four pieces while he fell. Clenching one hand, Terra sent all four pieces flying at his foe, "Comet!"

 

The man swung his Keyblade in front of him, the stones shattering against it. Swinging his arm again, this time the X that was formed was made of Dark Fire, while an arm of black energy pressed formed where his left arm should have been. Pressing it against the burning X, the flames replicated themselves until Terra was in a massive cage of them and the man landed, " **Goodbye, warrior. Terminus Est, Sol Tenebris** ."

 

Goodbye? 

 

**Goodbye?**

 

**He wasn't dying until Xehanort and Braig paid for what they had taken from him.**

 

" **Quakga!** " Terra roared, slamming the jaguar headed Keyblade into the ground, the earth around him becoming molten and exploded upwards, ripping through the cage. Terra clutched the other Keyblade, running across the molten stone so he could slash at the other Keyblader. 

 

The Keyblade bit into the armor and ripped out in a spray of black smoke, that stained Terra's gauntlets black, and blood. The other man's eyes stopped glowing while his Keyblade slipped from a clenched hand. The black half-coat around his armor lightened to red, and the flames around his armor faded.

 

"So that's how it is," the man said, his hand grabbing his helm and pulling it off, revealing an elderly man with grey hair beneath it. The helm slid off loose fingers, crashing against the ground. 

 

“ **You're-?** "

 

"Still alive?" The old man said, touching his stomach, lifting his hand to stare at his blood, "yes, just barely… and for not much longer."

 

" **Sorry** ," Terra said.

 

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about," the man said, catching another Keyblade and and looking it over with a sad smile, his eyes soft, "Ah… my old friend… as I was saying, tis I who should apologize. With your victory, my curse has been passed on to you."

 

" **Curse?** " Terra said, " **What curse?** "

 

"Once, I was known as the Shadow Lord," the man said, pressing his sword against the ground to use it as a cane while the skin of his face burning from the heat around them, "after a pact with the owner of that Keyblade. That is your role now, your title and name. You'll forgive an old fool for tricking you into taking up the curse?"

 

" **I… don't understand what you're talking about.** " 

 

"You will one day," the man said, before staggering forward and leaning on Terra as he moved to catch the falling man, "Well, what are you waiting for? You've got your Keyblade, it's time for you to go."

 

Terra glanced down at the Keyblade, which had shifted, retaining the same basic shape but larger, thicker. Focusing on the old man, Terra lifted him up, carrying him towards the tomb.

 

"You're an odd one," the man said softly as Terra rested him against his throne, sinking his Keyblade into the ground, "I wish you good fortune in the wars to come, lad."

 

" **Goodbye,** " Terra said, stepping outside the tomb, and hesitating as he watched metal horse with six legs standing in front of the Keyblade, " **What?** "

 

"Sleipnir is there?" The man said, "He'll take you where you need to go. Now if you'll excuse me, I must rest. My war is over, at last."

 

Terra walked towards the horse, climbing on it and grabbing the Keyblade, " **I-** "

 

Before Terra could finish, the horse took off, galloping into a black portal in front of them. 

 

\---X Ruby X---

 

Ruby clutched her chest, dropping her journal as a spike of pain rose through her heart and staggered forward. Before her eyes, the hall seemed to slowly sway.

 

"H-hey!" Yang said, rushing to Ruby's side as she fell to her knees, the pain burning harder, "I knew you shouldn't be u-"

 

"I'm-" Ruby said, summoning Master Defender and using it as a crutch, "I'm fine!"

 

"Fine?" Yang said, " _ fine!?  _ You just collapsed in the middle of the-"

 

"I'm fine, Yang," Ruby said, raising a hand and trying to open a Corridor. Black smoke rose from the ground, before vanishing. What the-? "I need to go find Mickey."

 

"You need to rest!" Yang said.

 

" _ I need to go find Mickey! _ " Ruby repeated with a snarl, clenching her fist and backing up from her sister. She didn't have time for this, Terra was… something was wrong, she could  _ feel  _ it. In her mind, in her bones and in her heart. She needed to find Terra.

 

A bubble of gravity magic formed around her, keeping Yang away from her while she bit the inside of her cheek, trying to open another Corridor, only for it to falter again. Dang it, dang it, dang it!

 

"Ruby," Ruby jumped, swinging around to stare at Blake standing within the bubble, "What's wrong?" 

 

"Terra," Ruby said, "something happened to him-"

 

"How do you-"

 

"I just  _ know _ ," Ruby snapped, gripping Master Defender tighter. The sword, in defiance of its completely blunt shape, began to sink into the floor. Blake calmly reached out, plucking the sword from Ruby's hand. The Keyblade Master immediately fell forward, catching herself on Blake, "Give me- give me-"

 

"You're still not ready to be going anywhere," Blake said, "I'll go get Mickey, ok?"

 

"Give me back my sword," Ruby pled, clawing at Blake's back while the pain continued to wrack through her body.

 

" _ Ok? _ " Blake repeated.

 

"...Ok," Ruby said, begrudgingly.

 

"Good," Blake said, handing Ruby her sword, "Now-"

 

"Ruby! Ruby!" Ruby turned, watching a ghostly Chirithy running towards them, "Something's wrong with Riku and Sora! They just- they just collapsed out of nowhere!"

 

Ruby's eyes widened, and she forced herself to stand, raising a hand. Open, open,  _ damn you, open- _

 

Ruby gave a scream of rage, punching the wall as the portal failed to open. Riku and Sora were in trouble, and she couldn't get a freaking portal open  _ now _ !?

 

"Ruby," Yang said, "drop this barrier."

 

Ruby did so, tears pricking her eyes as Yang pulled her into a hug. She was a terrible Mast-

 

Before Ruby could finish that thought, another sprang to mind. The Lanes! She could use the Lanes!

 

Summoning Crescent Rose, Ruby charged towards the nearest window, throwing it open and tossing the Keyblade out. A flash of light extended from the Keyblade and Ruby landed on the ship with a roll, falling into her throne and locked her eyes to the sky, pointing Master Defender at it. A beam of light shot from the end of the Keyblade, opening a door into the Lanes Between.

 

A simple impulse of will sent the ship rocketing through the portal, Ruby's eyes blazing as she charted a course through the Maze of the Sky for Destiny Islands. Ruby froze as a hand landed on the side of the throne, Pyrrha staring down at her.

 

Crap.

 

\--- X Aqua X---

 

Aqua landed on the fragment of earth, Brightcrest's blade flowing as she span in place, the small, Flood-like Shadows that had been her most common adversary since she ended up here flying by her in a wave. Spinning the Keyblade around into an ice-pick grip, something each of Eraqus's students were, at the very least, passable with from training with Ven, Aqua drove it into the tide. 

 

The shadows silently writhed away from the blade, the ones that had been hit burning to ash against the blue flames. Aqua watched them rush back into the void around them, tense and ready to defend if they came again. When they didn't, Aqua lowered her Keyblade, breathing a sigh of relief. Before immediately chiding herself, she didn't have time for relief.

 

"Shellja, Protectja, Reflecja," Aqua began to mutter to herself, sweeping the spells over the floating island that would have to be her home until she created a plan, "Barri-"

 

***THUM-THUM***

 

Aqua's focus on the spell shattered, pain exploding to life in her breast, racking through her body. Brightcrest slipped from numb fingers, while a vision on Terra flashed in front of her, his Keyblade Armor covering his body and darkness radiating from it. He turned towards her, a strange Keyblade in his hand, and stared at her with a red eye that glowed through the helm.

 

"This isn't-" Aqua panted, pushing her hands off her knees and closing her eyes, "This isn't real. It's just the Darkness trying to trick you."

 

Opening her eyes as the pain grew manageable, Aqua froze at the only remaining part of the vision was the glowing red eye. Head shifting, Aqua caught sight of a second.

 

She wasn't in here alone,  _ she wasn't in here alone _ !

 

"Reflecja!" Aqua threw up a barrier as the creature revealed itself, claws smashing against the barrier.

 

Much of the truck sized creature, like the others she had seen, was the deepest black Aqua had ever laid eyes on. So black, it seemed to drink in what little ambient light there was in this place. The only parts that weren't, paradoxically appeared to glow with an inner light, jagged lines of blue energy across the body and magenta spikes rising off its back. 

 

And it gave off the same feeling of wrongness that all these shadows had given, the same one Vanitas had given off. It wasn't an Unversed, it wasn't a Grimm… so what was it?

 

Aqua flinched as the monster latched its jaws around the barrier, lifting her into the air and the shield began to crack. Did it think it would be that easy? Really?

 

"Firaga," Aqua said, letting the barrier drop so a blast as large as her could rocket down the monster's throat. Planting her hands on the fangs of the beast, Aqua flipped out of the mouth, landing and summoning Brightcrest back to her as the monster thrashed around, dodging around the frenzied attacks with cartwheels, pirouettes and backflips.

 

Aqua ran a hand down her Keyblade, Brightcrest's blue blade turning white and glowing in the wake of her hand. Aqua landed on the paw of the creature, slashing into the black skin as she charged up the creature, leaping off the shoulder and glared down at it. When it looked up, she swung her hand down, "Firaja!" 

 

The beast roared as Aqua rained dozens of small fireballs down on it, rolling over to put them out. There!

 

"Magic Hour!" Aqua called, falling down and plunging Brightcrest into the monster's gut. A pillar of pearly light exploded up from Brightcrest, before spreading out, cutting the beast into four parts. Each one fell separately, fading away as it went. Sitting down, Aqua closed her eyes and took a minute to catch her breath.

 

\---X Pyrrha X---

 

Pyrrha watched Ruby jump off the edge of the boat as soon as it docked on the wooden pier, wading through the water towards the pair of collapsed children on the beach. A large stuffed animal was pushing the one with white hair, before looking up at Ruby, "Oh, thank goodness you're here!"

 

"What happened?" Ruby asked, voice as hoarse as it had been since she collapsed in the hall, turning the boy over, brushing the sand off his face and checking his pulse at the neck. Any leftover pain from whatever happened clearly shelved as she focused on the collapsed boy in front of her.

 

Pyrrha quickly turned over the other boy, reaching down to check his pulse before his blue eyes flickered open, croaking, "Whu are you?"

 

"I'm Pyrrha," she said, helping the boy to his feet, "are you alright?"

 

"I thin' so," the boy said, rubbing his eye, "I just… I fel' dizzy, and fell down."

 

"I don't know what happened!" the doll said to Ruby dutifully, wrapping its arms around the white haired boy's neck, "Riku and Sora were playing just fine, then they both collapsed! I couldn't wake them, so I went to get you and-"

 

"You did the right thing," Ruby croaked, rubbing the plushie's head, before sliding her hands hand under the boy's legs and neck and carefully lifting him, "Let's get him outta the sun. That can't-"

 

Before Ruby could finish, another spasm seemed to wrack her body, the muscles in her neck bulging as she fell to a knee, struggling to hold onto… Riku? Sora?

 

"Ruby-" Pyrrha started, taking a step forward, "Maybe I-"

 

"I'm fine," Ruby said, forcing herself onto her feet with a pained gasp. The boy next to Pyrrha tugged her hand, worry in his eyes.

 

 "Is Riku gonna be alright?"

 

"I don't-" Pyrrha started, before nodding, "Of course he will be."

 

"Good," the boy, who by process of elimination must have been Sora, said, following Ruby into the hut while she placed Riku against the wall. The doll came running to his side, touching Sora's hand and letting the young boy wrap his hand around the round nub that made up the plush's hand.

 

"Cura," Ruby said, green energy spinning around her hands, small shoots of grass blooming below her before it soaked into Riku. Riku's eyes jumped open, looking around. 

 

"What happened?" He asked, "Why's my chest hurting?"

 

"I'll tell you when I have an answer," Ruby said, falling onto her back, "I shoulda grabbed some potions from Crescent Rose while I was on it…"

 

"I can go get them," Pyrrha offered, "What do they look like?"

 

"Blue milk bottles," Ruby said, not really paying attention, "should be in the pack the left of the throne."

 

"Right," Pyrrha nodded, stopping as Sora put the plush in Riku's lap and began to follow her, "What are you doing?"

 

"Followin' you," Sora said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The type of answer you would expect from a little kid, in hindsight. 

 

"Why are you following me?" Pyrrha asked.

 

"Why not?" Sora asked, tilting his head, "Do you not want me following you? I can stay with Miss Ruby-"

 

"No," Pyrrha sighed, "It's fine. You can come with me. I just was wondering why?"

 

"I haven't met you before," Sora said, "I met Miss Ruby and Blake, but I haven't met you. Oh! I'm Sora."

 

"I'm Pyrrha," she said, deliberately slowing her walk so Sora could keep up with her without running, "Where are your parents?"

 

"Over there," Sora said, pointing to an island in the distance, "Uncle Adan dropped us off with a picnic basket so we could play.

 

"Isn't he worried about Grimm?" Pyrrha asked, looking around and quietly flexing her hand, wishing she had Miló on her. Ruby didn't realize how good she had it, being able to just summon her weapon to her at will.

 

"What's a grim?" Sora asked, taking Pyrrha's hand and using it to help him climb up onto the ship and following her to the throne. Pyrrha stopped, looking at him.

 

"You don't know what a Grimm is?" Pyrrha asked. Grimm lived in almost every part of Remnant, as far as she knew.

 

Unless they weren't on Remnant anymore, because that was a new factor to this. But the idea of a world without Grimm was… it was strange. What did warriors fight, if not Grimm?

 

"No," Sora said, sitting on the throne, kicking his feet, "Why's this only got one chair?"

 

"What?" Pyrrha looked up from the bag to her left, sifting through a collection of bobbles. A small trophy, A red jewel, a sheathed knife, a miniature castle… but nothing like what Ruby describes.

 

"Why's it only got one chair?" Sora repeated, "What if you want to take someone with you?"

 

"I don't know," Pyrrha said, standing up, closing the bag and opening the opposite, staring at the supply of bottles and blue squares. Right, it was in the righ-

 

Pyrrha stopped looking at Sora and hiding an exhausted sigh. Which would have been the left side if you were sitting in the chair. Grabbing two, Pyrrha offered them to Sora, "Do you mind giving these to Ruby? I want to take a walk around this island."

 

"Ok!" Sora said, taking the bottles and hoping off the boat, heading towards the shack. Pyrrha ran a hand through her hair, before deciding to follow the small pier to the larger walkway. This place seemed… idyllic, wonderful… and that made it feel strange.

 

\--- X Luxu/Braig X---

 

Luxu stepped out of the portal into 'his family's' home in Radiant Gardens, pulling off his black gloves, he stored them in his black coat before unzipping it and tossed it haphazard over the box leaning against the wall. Grabbing his regular jacket, he slid it on and pulled on the forearm high gloves. Pushing open the door, he left Luxu behind and was Braig again (what little difference between them there was).

 

First thing first…

 

"Hey, Mister Mcduck!" Braig called, knocking on the side of the stall across the square from his home, "You in?" 

 

"Yes," Scrooge Mcduck stepped out of the back room, eyes lighting up in a smile, "What can I do for you, my boy?"

 

"I need some sea salt ice cream for Ienzo," Braig said.

 

"Then why isn't he with you?" Scrooge said.

 

"I had some business to take care of outside the castle, and I promised I'd pick some up," Braig said, shrugging, "You know how it is."

 

"Oh, yes," Scrooge said, "I had my nephew run another one of my other shops a couple of years back. He's a natural at magic, but business… not so much. Younglings… anyways, that's two hundred gil."

 

"Yeah," Braig said, sliding over the money and taking the ice cream, "I know what ya mean. See you around."

 

"And the same to you, my boy!" Scrooge called, waving. 

 

His boy. Ridiculous. 

 

Braig warped space several times, first ending up on the rooftops, then at the cliff overlooking the castle, then to the front gate. Where was Aeleus? "Hey, Ienzo! I got that ice cream of yours!"

 

Nothing. 

 

"Ienzo?" Braig repeated, sighing and shouldering open the door to the castle, "Hey, have you guys seen Ienzo? I-"

 

"Ienzo is right here," Braig stopped at the deep voice of Ansem. The entirety of Ansem and his Apprentices were gathered in the main hall, "Go on, Ienzo."

 

Ienzo walked over to Braig, taking the ice cream from the one eyed man. He reached out, tussling Ienzo's hair,  "See? Told ya I'd get it. Ol' Braig keeps his promises. What's up? Why's everyone standing around like this?"

 

"Strange things have happened while you were out, Briag," Ansem said, stopping Ienzo, "What do you say, Ienzo?"

 

…

 

"...thank you," Ienzo said, voice barely audible.

 

"It's nothing," Braig said, waving his hand, "I made a promise, I kept it. What sort of strange things?"

 

If only because it was easier to bribe Ienzo to convince Aeleus to swap guard shifts with him than trying to convince Dilan or Aeleus on his own. They were too stubborn on their own.

 

"Young Xehanort took ill," Ansem said, "a heart murmur."

 

"That doesn't sound too strange, boss," Braig said, "He got a big jolt of electricity, didn't he?"

 

"On its own, I'd agree," Ansem said, "but when it came time for the changing of the guard, Dilan and Aeleus found a girl unconscious in the garden."

 

"Really now?" Braig said, "Who was she?"

 

"We don't know," Dilan said, "None of us recognized her. Do you mind taking a look? Just in case."

 

"Of course, I'll do it," Braig said, "Where is she?"

 

"On a cot in here," Ansem said, pushing open the door and gesturing. Braig stepped in, looking down at her.

 

Well, well, well…  

 

The girl was wearing a rhinestone belt to hold up the black skirt, a grey zip up shirt, with an open jacket over it, black on the outside and pink on the inside. Wrapped around her arms were a pair of pink belts. 

 

A Dandelion on the breeze of fate, lost to a void.

 

"Can't say that I recognize her," Braig lied easily, shrugging, "Sorry."

 

A new piece had landed on the board.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts, questions and opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?


	18. Side Story: Shadows and Light

You know the trope 'poorly disguised pilot? Yeah, this certainly as FUCK isn't that trope. This chapter fought me every step of the way, but I felt you deserved it. Give backstory to the Shadow Lord, and Skuld some characterization, since they both just kinda showed up last chapter.

 

\---X  **Ventus** X---

 

"We're actually going back, aren't we?" Ventus asked, sitting in the log cabin he and the other Dandelion leaders had come to share in the two months since Ava sent them away. That had been the first thing they needed to do, build a home for the Dandelions, create a schedule for hunting and farming. None of it had been easy, they weren't used to that stuff, since being a member of a Union meant you always had a bed to rest your head on and food to eat.

 

"I am," Ephemer said, hand wrapped around Starlight, "I have to. If  _ she _ ... if  _ anyone  _ is still alive, we have to save them. It's only right."

 

"I'm going too," Lauriam said, planting a hand on Ventus's shoulder, "but you don't need to come if you don't want to, Ventus. It's… it's probably going to be bad. You shouldn't-"

 

"You can't coddle the kid forever," Brain said, cutting Lauriam off and pushing up his hat to stare at the pink haired Keyblade wielder, "We're all the leaders. We should go together, or not at all."

 

"Skuld, what do you think?" Lauriam asked, reaching out to touch the last member's shoulder. She looked up from Sleeping Lion before the hand touched her, chewing her cheek.

 

"There could be Fallen there," Skuld said, breaking the silence, "a  _ lot  _ of Fallen, if things were as bad as Master Ava thought they would get. We should all go."

 

"We need a better name for them than that," Ephemer said, running a hand through his silvery hair, before dropping it, "Ventus, you don't need to come if you don't want to. I don't wanna force anyone to do something-"

 

"Why's everyone assuming I didn't want to go?" Ventus finally asked, "I never said that."

 

Lauriam laughed, covering his mouth, "You didn't, did you? I'm sorry."

 

"Good," Brain said, pushing his hat back down and summoning his Keyblade from its place against the door, "We're good to go, then, aren't we?"

 

"Yeah," Ephemer said, lifting his Keyblade. A beam of bright light shot out, opening a portal in the wall.

 

"See you on the other side!" Brain said, stepping through the portal. Lauriam's grip on Ventus's shoulder got tighter.

 

"I don't trust him," Lauriam said, leaning forward so he was talking in Ventus's ear, glowering at the portal.

 

"Brain?" Ventus asked, "Why?"

 

"Something just doesn't seem right," Lauriam said, "Why'd Ava pick someone so willing to throw everything out the window to be one of the Dandelion leaders?'

 

"I dunno," Ventus shrugged.

 

"Exactly," Lauriam said, letting go of Ventus's shoulder and grabbing his Keyblade. The pink haired teen followed Ephemer and Skuld into the portal, leaving Ventus standing in their house alone. What the heck was he supposed to do with that information?

 

Pushing it aside, Ventus ran after Lauriam. Bursting out of the portal, Ventus went silent, staring out at the wasteland before them, his grip on Missing Ache growing weak.

 

Daybreak Town was… it was gone, the green hills around it were gone. In their place was a brown wasteland of cliff, ruins, the Clocktower most easily recognizable… and more Keyblades than Ventus could count. Lauriam had stopped moving, mouth hanging open, while Brain's head was bowed. Finally, he spoke, "We're not alone."

 

"How can you tell?" Ephemer asked.

 

"Someone must have put those Keyblades in the ground," Brain said, "They-"

 

"Strelitzia!" Lauriam called, jumping down the cliff and running for the ruins, "Strelitzia!"

 

"You two go after him," Skuld said to Ventus and Brain.

 

"What about us?" Ephemer asked.

 

"We'll be dealing with those," Skuld said, pointing towards the group of heartless, including several of the jittering ones created from Keyblader hearts. The 'Fallen'.

 

"Right," Ephemer said, stepping up beside her.

 

"But-"

 

"If there's Heartless here, there's gonna be more down there, Ven," Ephemer said, "You gotta make sure Lauriam is alright."

 

"Ok," Ventus,  _ Ven  _ said. A nickname, he hadn't had one of those before.

 

\---X  **Skuld** X---

 

Skuld couldn't help the smile that started to split across her face as she stood even with Ephemer, holding her Keyblade with one hand. Ephemer looked back at her, before stopping, confusion on his face, "What?"

 

"Why are you smiling like that?" He asked.

 

"It's just… it's been a long time since we fought together," Skuld said, "Last time… we were still part of the same party."

 

"Yeah," Ephemer said, "I'm- look out!"

 

Skuld span in place, dodging the claws of the long, lanky shadow and slashing through the Heartless, pulling the trigger in the guard as she went. Flames burned along Sleeping Lion's blade, strengthening the attack. Before she could follow up the attack, two more shadows lunged at her, aiming for her side. Glancing backwards as she heard the chirping crackle of lightning, Skuld caught Ephemer's Starlight, using it to take off the Heartless' arms at the elbow.

 

Finishing the spin, Skuld pulled the trigger on Sleeping Lion again, taking off both heads in a roaring burst of fire. Seconds later, golden lightning crashed into a massive lupine shadow, turning it into smoke. The ground beneath Ephemer rose up, carrying him away from the three Fallen that were running after him. The once Keybladers crawled up the pillar, only to be blown apart by three balls of golden fire.

 

Ephemer had always been the more magically inclined of the two former Ursus members. In fact, he was likely one of the most magically inclined Ursus members,  _ period _ . Most mages prefered to join either Anguis or Vulpes, their Union Homes had bigger libraries, and there was kinda a circular thing, where since there were more mages there, new mages were more likely to join one of them so they could get a teacher easier, which lead to-

 

Skuld cut herself thought off, kicking the Heartless in the head and drove her Keyblade straight into its gut. Slashing Ephemer's Keyblade into the throat of another Heartless, Skuld found herself staring down three more Fallen. The lead one staggered forward, croaking out, "Lux… give me-"

 

"Skuld, I'm gonna need my Keyblade!" Ephemer warned, and Skuld dropped Starlight, the blade vanishing. Flicking open Sleeping Lion, Skuld loaded a carriage into it.

 

"Lu-!" The Fallen growled, lunging at her. Skuld slashed into it, pulling the trigger, golden flames burned into the Heartless. Spinning to create a ring of fire, Skuld stared through the flames at the remaining Heartless. 

 

"Here's your Lux," Skuld said, pulling the trigger again. The flames launched out, burning through the Heartless. Looking backwards, she watched a small group explode as Ephemer gestured to them with his off hand, a pillar of white light burning them away. With his main hand, he swung Starlight through the last shadow. 

 

"'Here's your Lux'?" Ephemer asked, "Really?"

 

"It sounded cool!" Skuld defended, "admit it!"

 

"Kind-" before Ephemer could finish, there was a loud howling from below them, and they both span in place, watching the vortex of Darkness tear into the sky, "Oh, no…"

 

"What is that?" Skuld asked.

 

"I don't know," Ephemer said, "but that's where the others-! We need to go get them!"

 

"Yeah," Skuld nodded, following him. Their search could wait.

 

\---X Gaius X---

 

Gaius staggered through the ruins, picking up another sword and turning it over. Hand shaking, he pushed the sword into the ground, the metal chain hissing along his armored gauntlet as he stared down at the star shaped token on the end. Closing his hand, Gaius removed the keychain with a hard yank, storing it on the bag around his waist. 

 

_ "Livia! Lucia!" Gaius called, turning down his street and staring at the group of kids standing near his house, the mass produced Keyblades in their hands. Stopping, Gaius summoned his own Keyblade, staring at them, "Get away from my house." _

 

_ Despite the roar of the flames flying above them, Gaius was sure they heard him. They turned, pointing their Keyblades at him, "Which Union are you a part of?" _

 

_ Union?  _ **_Union_ ** _? The damned world was coming apart around them and they wanted to know which Union he was part of? "I said, get away from my-" _

 

_ "Which Union are you with?" the leader demanded, his grip on the Keyblade growing tight enough to be heard. _

 

_ "Get your damn a-" Gaius snarled, eyes blazing. The boy charged forward, swinging his Keyblade for Gaius. Heirsbane flashed up on instinct, deflecting the Keyblade into the air before he carved into the boy. Gaius tried to keep the look of shock off his face as the boy fell over, nearly bisected. He hadn't meant to do- _

 

_ "You!" The other kids snarled, baring their Keyblades at Gaius. Gaius didn't have time to wait, just watching the kids charge towards him. _

 

"Damn fools," Gaius muttered to himself, turning, burying another Keyblade into the ground, "Who gives children swords like this anyways? That was a bad idea. Can't have been Master Ira's, he wouldn't have done something so foolish…"

 

_ Gaius span Heirsbane, deflecting two more strikes. High above them, meteors blazed into existence, smashing into buildings in the distance. Gaius kicked the boy back, swinging Heirsbane and creating an X of blue flames. The rain from the storm above struck it, steam rising off the fire. _

 

_ Dodging around his attack, Gaius slammed into the girl weaving a spell, Heirsbane finding her neck and cleaving the head off in a spray of blood. He pressed his lips together, she wasn't much older than Livia. _

 

_ "You!" The last two boys snarled as one, jumping at him with their silvery Keyblades. Heirsbane blocked the attacks, holding them in place. _

 

_ "Terminus Est," Gaius snarled, the flames launching at the two boys. The smell of burning flesh grew pronounced, while in the distance, Daybreak's Clocktower gave a loud clanging, visibly cracking. Ignoring the the dropping bodies, Gaius shouldered open the ajar door… and stopped, Heirbane slipping from numb fingers. No…  _ **_No_ ** _... "Livia…" _

 

Gaius stopped, kicking the skull of a dead boy and pried the Keyblade from his ha-

 

"Strelitzia!" Gaius turned, eyes sharpening. Who was- "Strelitzia!"

 

_ "Livia!" Gaius grabbed his daughter and shaking her. Part of his brain to told him it was a futile gesture, the wound across her chest was too big, the puddle of blood around her too deep.  _

 

_ "You're wasting your time," a calm voice said from behind him. Gaius turned, staring at the man standing in the doorway, "Even it she was capable of waking, you wouldn't want her t-" _

 

_ The word was muted by the roaring rumble of the Clocktower. The man turned his head, staring at it for a second before turning back to Gaius, "May I come in? Time is, and pardon what is going to assuredly come off as a bad joke, very nearly done." _

 

_ "Who are you?" Gaius growled, grabbing Heirsbane and staring at the man. _

 

_ "That's a no, then?" The man deadpanned, before turning to look as the storm suddenly cut out, "Come outside, then. I assure you, you don't want to miss this." _

 

_ Gaius picked Livia up, cradling her to his chest as he stepped over the boy with a crushed trachea and outside. Looking up, Gaius very nearly dropped her in shock. High in the sky, a heart-shaped moon cast a doleful blue light across the world. Across Daybreak Town, the spells stopped, the ringing of blades falling silent for the first time since the Clocktower had rang two weeks before, "Kingdom Hearts…" _

 

_ "The Heart of the World," the man agreed, running his hand around the neck of a metal horse. His eyes, a solid black, seemed to drink in the sight, "tis a beautiful sight." _

 

_ "Yes," Gaius reluctantly agreed. _

 

_ "It'll be the last thing many see," the man said, voice not changing in spite of the grim statement. _

 

_ "What-?" _

 

_ "It's here to witness the end, to bring those gone to its embrace," the man continued, before pointing at one of the boys Gaius had fought, a silvery light rising from his chest, "See?" _

 

_ Gaius watched the light rise from the boy's body and join hundreds of others in the sky. Looking back at the man, Gaius noticed the horns on his head, poking from the slicked black hair, "Who are you?" _

 

_ "Does it matter?" The man asked, "the world is very nearly over, and you wish to know my name?" _

 

_ "Yes." Gaius said, eyes flashing.  _

 

_ "Very well, I am Odin," the man said, giving an exaggerated bow, "and I'm here to offer you a gift, Gaius. One that will let us both survive past the end of this world." _

 

_ In the man's hand, a long black scimitar-like Keyblade appeared. He held it out, offering it to Gaius, "Take this blade, use it to gain vengeance upon those who took your daughter from you. ALL the foolish children wielding the tools of the gods." _

 

_ Gaius looked down at Livia, watching the sliver light rise from her chest, her breath stilled. Placing the cooling body on the ground, he pressed his lips to her forehead one more time, "Goodbye…" _

 

_ "Are you ready?" The man said, holding out the sword, "to abandon being a Hunter of Shadows, and to become a Lord of them?" _

 

_ "Yes," Gaius said, wrapping his hand around the sword. The blade sang, armor forming around him. _

 

"You," Gaius growled, pointing the black sword at the children. They stopped, staring at him,

" **You** !"

 

A pillar of black fire rolled around Gaius, summoning a pair of hulking shadows holding swords. The trio of children clutched their Keyblades, ready for battle. Or so they thought.

 

" **Go** !" Gaius snarled, sending the two shadows forward.

 

\---X  **Ventus** X---

 

Ventus watched the Orcus fly forward, swinging Missing Ache up to block the attack. At the same time, Brain shouldered Lauriam to the side, swinging up his Keyblade, "Reflect!"

 

The barrier formed over them, clashing with the blade. Ven had just enough time to see Brain's Diamond Dust begin to shake before the other Orcus crashed into him, sending Ventus flying back while he tried to block the attack with Missing Ache.

 

The Keyblade went skidding out of Ven's hand, the Heartless charging forward and bearing its sword at him again. Ventus summoned Missing Ache back to his hand in a forward grip, rolling away from the attack. Tightening his grip on his Keyblade, Ven slashed Missing Ache forward.

 

The wind howled forward, knocking the blade out of the Orcus's hand. Ventus span the sword back into a reversed grip, rushing towards the Heartless, Missing Ache sang, the wind wrapping around the Keyblade.

 

Spinning around as he finished cutting through the Heartless, Ventus watched the other Heartless continue to slam its sword into Brain's shield. His hat had slid off, his hair flying backwards with each blow. Before Ven could move to help, Lauriam swung his Keyblade up, energy flowing up the vine on the purple blade and into the flower bud that made up the teeth. Red flowers bloomed on the blade, before the bud sprang open into a rose.

 

A thin thorn of stone burst from the ground, smashing through Brain's spell and through the bottom of the Orcus's jaw and out the back of the skull. All three of them gave a relieved sigh as the Heartless began to fade, lowering their Keyblades.

 

The body wasn't gone before the figure who summoned the Heartless reminded them of how bad an idea that was. The Heartless and thorn were ripped through, the blood spraying from Lauriam and Brain barely giving Ven enough warning to dive to the ground, the building behind him collapsing.

 

"Guys!?" Ven asked, rushing towards the crumbling thorn, "Are you alright?"

 

"We're fine!" Lauriam called, pushing himself up. The left arm of his waistcoat was split, the white shirt under it staining red.

 

"Talk about yourself," Brain coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood and a broken tooth. He was curled up on the ground, clutching a gash in his side, "I think… I think he hit something…"

 

"Don't worry," Lauriam said, turning towards Brain and pointing Divine Rose at him, "Curaz-"

 

"Look out!" Ven called, throwing himself between Lauriam and the black armored monster, arm shaking as Missing Ache clashed with the scimitar in his hand, "Get away from my frie-"

 

Ven locked up as the man pointed a barrel in his offhand at his head. Oh, n-

 

"Hey!" The armor's head snapped to the right, twisting its left arm grotesquely so it could be put the gauntlet between Skuld's Keyblade and his head, "Ephemer!"

 

"Right!" Ephemer called, "Jolta!"

 

A golden bolt of energy struck the monster in the chest, sending it flying back from Skuld and Ventus. The armor skidded back, the metal stretching and snapping back to normal size as it drove the sword into the ground.

 

"Are you alright?" Skuld asked Ven, offering him a hand.

 

"Yeah," Ven said, taking her hand and staggering up. Brain and Lauriam had both gotten up, joining the him and Skuld while Ephemer jogged up next to them, the gold blade of Starlight bared.

 

" **Five** ," the monster rumbled, standing up and drawing his sword from the ground, " **Five** !?"

 

\---X  **Ephemer** X---

 

"Five?" Ephemer asked, five wha-?

 

The armored…  _ thing  _ charged at them, baring the sword. Skuld stepped forward, swinging her Keyblade and deflecting the attack. Before the Heartless… it was a Heartless, right? Before the Heartless could regain its footing, Skuld blasted him back with a Fira spell.

 

The Heartless charged out of the smoke, stabbing for Skuld's chest quicker than Ephemer could respond. Ephemer's gut plummeted as he began to move in spite of his brain telling him he would be too sl-

 

Ventus tackled the Heartless, just barely slowing it as he slammed Missing Ache into the exposed armpit. But it was enough for Skuld deflect the slash with Sleeping Lion. Lauriam's Keyblade glowed, vines sprouting from the dead ground to wrap around the Heartless, "Don't just stand there!"

 

"Right!' Ephemer nodded, pointing Starlight at the Heartless. Magical energy welled up in his chest, carrying down his arms and into the Keyblade, "Firaga!"

 

Flames blasted from the tip of the Keyblade, scorching the Heartless… and incinerating the vines. The Heartless swung its arm, batting Ven aside and into Skuld before charging at Ephemer, " **Di-** !

 

"Reflecga!" A shield formed around Ephemer, the Heartless's sword slowly burrowing through it.

 

"Flood! Freeze!" Brain's voice came loud and clear, and water exploded into existence around the Heartless, before flash freezing, stopping the Heartless in its tracks. The blade stopped sinking into Ephemer's shield, which the white haired boy dropped with a relieved sigh. 

 

"Thanks," Ephemer said, smiling at them, "I didn't think-"

 

" _ That's _ obvious," Brain snarked.

 

"-I could have kept it- What?" Ephemer blinked, staring at Brain.

 

"What were you thinking, using a fire spell around plants?" Brain demanded, "You-"

 

"You're overthinking it," Lauriam said, "he didn't consider it. This is our first time fighting toge-"

 

"And it was nearly our last," Brain said, "and what were you doing, running off on us?"

 

"...That's none of your business," Lauriam said, looking away from them and towards the Heartless… and then tackled them both to the ground, "Look out!"

 

Before Ephemer could ask  _ what  _ exactly, they were supposed to be looking out for, the sound of shattering ice echoed through the desert. Looking up, Ephemer's eyes widened as the Heartless created a familiar X out of black fire, "Lucia?"

 

" **Lucia** ?" the Heartless rumbled, " **Luci-** !"

 

Before it could finish the second bellow, a golden X of light flew over Ephemer's head, smashing into the Heartless's Terminus Est and canceling it out, "Who's calling my na- Ephemer?"

 

Ephemer rolled up, staring at the teen clad in resplendent gold and blue armor with a white cloak over it. She pushed back her hood, exposing the white hair that fell over one of her eyes and a circlet on her forehead. Ephemer let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as his friend stepped forward, noticing the blue and gold Keyblade in her hand.

 

Lucia Baelsar was alive and well.

 

"Lucia!" Skuld said, standing up with Ven.

 

"Skuld?" Lucia said, lowering her Keyblade, "Then… Master Ava's plan worked?"

 

"Is now the time?" Brain snarled, snagging his hat as he got to his feet and planting it back onto his head, glaring at the Heartless. Diamond Dust appeared in his hand, bared at the Heartless.

 

\---X  **Lucia** X---

 

Lucia slid another Keyblade into the ground, ignoring the gnawing hunger in her stomach. She hoped the other survivors had found something to hunt, but she doubted it.

 

Less than a hundred humans had survived the end of the Keyblade War, few plants had done the same, why would it be any different for animals? They hadn't seen anything in nearly a week. 

 

Not for the first time, the question came to Lucia if they had only survived the end of the world just to die to their own hunger, or exposure, or  _ any  _ of the other ways to die in the hell that had once been Daybreak Town. If her decision to stay behind instead of being Unchained had been for nothing…

 

And if Ephemer and Skuld had reached wherever that 'other world' Ava had sent them to, if they had survived. Or had it all happened too fast? She hadn't seen them during the War, but she hadn't seen Livia or their father either.

 

Stopping at the explosion of black flames in the distance, Lucia summoned her Keyblade. The heavy golden armor that had been given to her formed around her. Pushing off the ground, she began to sprint towards it. That was close to where the Foretellers had kept the Lux!

 

Watching two Neoshadows stand up as she ran through the field of Keyblades, beginning to head towards the Darkness, Lucia swung Starseeker through their necks, easily decapitating them. Four more Neoshadows stood up, moving towards her as they focused on the Keyblade in her hand. Swinging Starseeker, golden light rolled out of the Keyblade, burning through them. 

 

The fight carried on for several minutes, Heartless diving at Lucia, and her cutting them down as quickly as she could. Without their ability to think, they left themselves wide open to Lucia's retaliatory attacks.

 

"Lucia?" A voice called over the rubble, and Lucia paused. Nobody was supposed to be hunting in the ruins of Daybreak Town prop-

 

" **Lucia** ?" a second voice rumbled as Lucia crested a pile of rubble. Lucia barely had time to register the black, twisted form of Terminus Est before she formed her own, blasting it at the shadowy form of her father's technique.

 

"Who's calling my na-?" The words died in her mouth, her grip on Starseeker growing slightly looser. Rolling onto his hands and knees was a white haired boy with a red scarf around his neck, staring up at her with blue eyes as he worked his jaw, "Ephemer?"

 

"Lucia!" Lucia's green eyes jumped over to Skuld, standing up with a new Keyblade, a modified version of Sleeping Lion in the place of her copy of Starlight.

 

"Skuld?" Lucia asked, licking her dry lips, lowering Starseeker. Her pulse thundered in her ears, and she barely forced herself to croak out, "Then… Master Ava's plan worked?"

 

"Is now the time?" A black haired boy asked, grabbing a fedora and summoning a Diamond Dust Keyblade. The Heartless they had been fighting was shaking its head erratically, body twitching.

 

**"No, No, No, No, No, Nonononono** ," the Heartless's armored head seemed to split open, unnaturally wide,  **"NO!"**

 

The last shout morphed into a twisted wail, so loud and sharp that it sent Lucia, and everyone else, staggering in pain. The shadow of the Heartless warped below his feet, rising up into a six legged horse that he slid onto, the black barding and his legs seemed to warp and wrap in shadows, fusing together. The horse's yellow eyes glowered at them before it lowered its head, the front legs digging into the ground and it charged at them.

 

\---X Skuld X---

 

Skuld flicked open the cylinder of Sleeping Lion, loaded six cartridges into the chambers and pulling the trigger as she slammed the cylinder back into place. Magical bolts flew from the sky, hardening into a silent shield around the group. The horse crashed into the barrier, stopping it in silence, "Lauriam, heal!"

 

Nothing.

 

"Lauria-"

 

Cooling breeze fell over her, and suddenly the silence that had covered her since the Heartless scream faded. Skuld watched the Heartless slam his sword into the barrier, the horse rearing up its legs and kicked her shield. Opening the cylinder, Skuld let the empty containers of magical energy fall into her hand, storing them in a bag on her right side before grabbing six more from the bag on her left and began loading them into Sleeping Lion. She only had twelve shots left, twelve enhanced slashes or spells.

 

It would have to be enough.

 

"I hope it doesn't do that scream again," Lauriam said, the hair around his ears matted to his head with a sticky substance, "it ruptured most of our eardrums."

 

"Yeah," Ephemer said, nodding, "We're gonna need to go all out when that barrier drops. Can you guys do that?"

 

"Of course we can," Lucia said.

 

"Yeah," Ven nodded, lifting his Keyblade.

 

Lauriam didn't give a vocal response, just nodding. His lips were pulled tight, his grip on his Keyblade just as tight.

 

"Wouldn't it be a better idea to just get outta here?" Brain asked, "cut our losses and run?"

 

"I don't think it'll let us," Skuld said, preparing herself, "Limit Breaks?"

 

"Yeah," Ephemer said, "Three, two-"

 

The barrier shattered, the horse lowering itself for another charge, black flames rising off it and the rider, " **Die** !"

 

"-NOW!" Ephemer howled, magical energy spinning around him.

 

"Fine," Brain snarled, "Absolute Zero!"

 

Ice formed around the Heartless, struggling around the black flames. Before the battle could be decided, Lauriam joined in, magic pushing into the ground, "Impalement Field!"

 

Dozens of stone spikes drove into the horse, stopping the charge completely. Skuld pulled the trigger, energy exploding out of the blade of Sleeping Lion. Swinging the Keyblade down, Skuld felt her arm fight the recoil as the energy hit the sword of the Heartless, searing the black flesh of the arm holding the sword, revealing armor below it, "Blasting Zone!"

 

"Fear the Wrath of this Buried Rebuke!" Ephemer incanted, spinning his Keyblade in a circle that left energy in its wake. At the end, he thrust his glowing Keyblade into the center of the circle, twisting it, "Scathe!"

 

A beam of golden energy exploded forward, hitting the Heartless and burning away the remaining black flesh, revealing armor underneath. The Heartless was blasted off his horse, which gave a rasping nicker before exploding into shadows, the spikes finally winning through.

 

Lucia charged up the spikes, using them to dive lunge into the sky above the Heartless. A cage of Terminus Ests formed around it, glowing golden, "Terminus Est, Sol!"

 

The golden light imploded, aiming for the Heartless. Before it could hit, a black version exploded outward, countering the attack, " **Terminus Est, Sol Tenebris** ."

 

"No…" Lucia said, landing, "Father? Is that you?"

 

The Heartless didn't answer, merely glowering at them. Before it could attack, Ventus attacked it from behind with a glowing Keyblade. First, twice across the back, then across the back of the neck, twice on either side the groin, and-

 

Ventus ducked, dodging the sudden left hand slash from the Heartless before swinging his Keyblade up and into the armpit, severing the arm in a spray of blood while the armor around the arm suddenly faded. Another set of vines rose from the ground, binding the Heartless in place, even as black flesh began to form from the wound and over the armor.

 

"What do we do with this?" Lauriam asked, as the Heartless strained against the shackles, "it's healing too quickly for us to…"

 

"I know a place," Lucia said, voice cracking, "it's where… where the Foretellers kept all the Lux. In crystals. Those should keep hi… it, sealed for a long time."

 

\---X  **Odin** X---

 

Odin ran his hand down Sleipnir's neck, hiding his rage behind his helm. Finally, he spoke, voice as soft as it was harsh, "You did this on purpose."

 

"I did no such thing," his counterpart said, stepped beside him in heavy, golden plate armor. Blue eyes met red without flinching, "I just picked the one most suited for my Keyblade."

 

"Sure you did," Odin snarled, considering summoning the Shin Zantetsuken and attacking Alexander, before deciding it was pointless for the moment, "did you at least get what we need?"

 

"Yes," Alexander said, raising his head, "Shall we go?"

 

"Fine," Odin said, grabbing his sword and slashing through the air, creating a portal, "let's go,  _ brother _ ."

 

\---X AN X---

 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with a clown.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts and Opinions? Good? Bad? Meh?


End file.
